SAN FRANCISCO 

STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 

BULLETIN No. 17 



SAN FRANCISCO STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 


A Composition Course in 
American Government 


Pupils’ Handbook to State Series Text 


BULLETIN No. 17 


BY 

P. F. VALENTINE 

Supervisor of the Teaching of Civics and History 


Ifowgrcph 




























LIST Of COURSES OF STUDY FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 


No. 4 (new series).—A Course of Study in Map Geography; paper bound, 52 pages. By 
Allison Ware. Price by mail , postpaid , SO cents . 

Outline maps. —In connection with Bulletin No. 4, the school publishes a series 
of nine outline maps from which pupils may trace outlines for use in location. 
These maps are 9 by 12 inches in size. They represent the following areas: North 
America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, United States, California, 
and the hemispheres. Price by mail, postpaid for set of nine, 15 cents. 

No. 5 (new series).—A Course of Study in Literature for the Grammar Grades; paper 
bound, 103 pages. By Allison Ware. Price by mail , postpaid , SO cents. 

No. 7 (new series).—A Course of Study in History and Handbook to the State Series 
Advanced Text. (This course was issued when McMaster’s School History was 
the State Series Text; by means of a reference leaflet which accompanies the 
course it may be used in connection with the new State Series Text, McMaster’s 
Brief History) ; paper bound, 162 pages. By Archibald P*. Anderson. Price by 
mail , postpaid , SO cents. In lots of 25 or more, freight or expressage paid by 
purchaser, 25 cents per copy. 

No. 9 (new series).—A Course of Study in Language; 174 pages. By Effie Belle Mc- 
Fadden. Price by mail, postpaid, 30 cents. 

No. 10 (new series).—A Course of Study and Teachers’ Handbook in the Common Liter¬ 
ature of Life; 207 pages, paper bound. By Allison Ware. Price, postpaid, JfO 
cents. 

No. 11.—A Course of Study in Formal Arithmetic and Teachers’ Handbook. By David 
Rhys Jones. 

, This Bulletin is published in various parts as follows: 

Part I. Teachers’ Handbook and exei*cises for integers; 109 pages, paper bound. 
Price by mail, postpaid, SO cents. In lots of 25 or more, freight or expressage 
paid by purchaser, 25 cents per copy. 

Part II. Teachers’ Handbook and exercises for common fractions, decimals, 
percentage, denominate numbers, and mensuration; 84 pages, paper bound. Price 
by mail, postpaid, SO cents. In lots .of 25 of more, freight or expressage paid by 
purchaser, 25 cents per copy. 

Drill Exercise Books Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 ; paper. Price by mail, postpaid, 10 
cents each. In lots of 25 or more, freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 8 
cents per copy. These drill books are intended to be used exclusively by pupils, 
and may be purchased in bulk for classes; they contain merely the exercises 
from the Bulletin as follows: No. 1, Addition and Subtraction (22 pp.) ; No. 2, 
Multiplication and Division (23 pp.) ; No. 3, Common Fractions (15 pp.) ; No. 4, 
Decimals, Percentage, Denominate Numbers and Mensuration (24 pp.) ; answers 
to these exercises are found in the Handbook. 

No. 12.—Review Courses of American History by means of Composition Topics, and 
Teachers’ Handbook to the use of the California State Scries Texts. By P. F. 
Valentine. 

Part I. Teachers’ edition containing introduction and directions for use of the 
composition method, the pupils’ topics of the primary text, the pupils’ topics of 
the advanced text, a paragraph directory to the text, and a cumulative fact 
review of the advanced text; 73 pages. Price, postpaid, 25 cents. In lots of 25 
or more, freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 20 cents per copy. 

Part II. Pupils’ edition containing the composition outlines which follow the 
State primary text in history; 10 pages. Price, postpaid, 5 cents. In lots of 25 or 
more, freight or expressage paid by purchaser, b cents per copy. 

Part III. Pupils’ edition containing the composition outlines which follow the 
State series advanced text in history, the paragraph directory to the text, and 
the cumulative fact r.a\iew for the same; 48 pages. Price, postpaid, 10 cents. In 
lots of 25 or more, freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 8 cents per copy. 

No. 13.—A Course of Study in Applied Problems in Arithmetic for Supplementary Use. 
By Mary A. Ward. 

Teachers’ Edition (unpublished). 

Pupils’ Arithmetical Exercise Book, No. 1 (problems involving Integers, frac¬ 
tions and denominate numbers) unpublished. 

Pupils’ Arithmetic Exercise Book, No. 2; 39 pages. (Problems in percentage 
types.) Price, by mail, postage prepaid, 15 cents; in lots of 25 or more, freight 
or express charges paid by purchaser, 10 cents. 

[Continued Inside back cover.] 



SAN FRANCISCO STATE NORMAL SCHOOL 

BULLETIN No. 17 


A Composition Course in 
American Government 


AND 


Pupils’ Handbook to State Series Text 


By PERCY H VALENTINE 

A >, 

Supervisor of the Teaching of Civics and History 



Friend Wm. Richardson, Superintendent of State Printing 

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA 

1912 




, V/ O O 


J 





Copyright 1912 

BY 

P. P. Valentine 


©CI.A328698 


TO THE TEACHER. 


The outlines relate directly to the material of the text (Dunn’s Com¬ 
munity and the Citizen ), or to the material of the supplement to the text. 
The supplement is contained in this bulletin. 

The parts in parentheses, at the end of each paragraph outline, direct 
the pupil to the portions of the text or supplement where the required infor¬ 
mation* can be found. 

The writing of the compositions may be used as a complement to the 
regular oral recitation method, or may supplant all other methods entirely. 
The entire course in civics can well be reduced to the composition plan, in 
which case the work of the teacher will consist in interpreting difficult 
passages in the text, superintending the composition work, marking errors 
in the compositions, and supervising the corrections. 

Mark each day’s work from the points of view of composition, spelling, 
writing, form, and civics. A good plan is to mark civics errors with a 
check in the margin, spelling errors by underlining, composition errors 
with a mark in the margin, form and writing by general written criticisms. 

Each day’s work should always begin with a correction of errors made 
in the previous day’s lesson. 

The titles to the compositions, as given in the outlines, correspond to 
the titles of the respective chapters of the text, except where compositions 
on supplementary topics have been interpolated. The title to any com¬ 
position should be written by the pupil only once, no matter how many 
periods he may spend in writing on the same composition. If, on a given 
day, a pupil begins his written work at a point within the composition, he 
should continue the composition as if there had been no interruption. The 
date, written in the margin, can indicate where a day’s work begins. 

The pupils should be taught to paragraph their compositions strictly in 
accordance with the paragraphing of the outlines. The paragraph outlines 
conform as far as possible with the rhetorical requirement of unity. 

The most important item of instruction is reserved for the last: Do not 
permit the pupils to copy from the text or the supplement. They kre 
to study the outlines, and the parts of the text or supplement to which 
they are directed. Then they are to write with nothing before them 
as a guide but the outlines. They are to be allowed to refer to the 
sources of information as frequently as they please, but in writing they 
must be allowed to copy nothing from the text or the supplement. The 
success of the method depends largely on the observance of this rule. 

The cumulative fact review, to be found on the last pages of the 
bulletin, are the isolated items of fact that represent the minimum of 
information to be retained by the pupils. They are the pegs on which 
the larger knowledge is hung. In the outlines an effort has been made 
to develop the material of the text according to the ideas suggested in 


the introduction to that book. The items of the review are the solid 
pieces of information that every pupil should carry away with him at 
the completion of the course. On account of the importance of this 
review, it is necessary to make provision for it in the regular work. Part 
of each period should be spent by the pupils in writing the answers to 
the review questions. The time that is spent on this written review 
work should take up from one quarter to one half the regular period, 
depending on the progress that has been made in the composition work. 
A pupil should begin with question number one, and should answer up 
to the current topic. He should then jump back to number one and 
begin again. This process should be repeated indefinitely throughout 
the course. 

The review papers should be kept separate and apart from the com¬ 
position papers. This is to avoid confusion. Errors in the review work 
should be indicated and corrected regularly, according to the plan 
outlined for the compositions. 


A COMPOSITION COURSE IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. 


1. THE BEGINNING OF A COMMUNITY. 

Begin this composition with the following sentences: In the early days 
a company of people in New York decided to found a settlement in the far 
West. They sent out an exploring committee to find a good location. 
After writing the sentences, finish the paragraph, telling what kind of a 
location the committee was to look for. (Do not copy from the book. 
Study the first three paragraphs, close the book, and tell in your own 
words what the committee had to have in mind, if their settlement was 
to be healthful and prosperous.) (Page 1. Page 2, The site selected.) 

As soon as the community was founded, the settlers busied themselves 
doing what things ? Many occupations, such as making clothing and shoes, 
repairing tools, and making furniture, were at first carried on where? 
Later what kinds of workmen came to the community? (Page 3. second 
paragraph.) 

What use was the land outside the village put to ? How was it improved ? 
Improving the land, building homes, and investing money in business 
would have what effect on the entire community? (Page 3, The people 
united with the land.) 

Write a short paragraph telling of the life in the early community, 
following these suggestions: How the neighbors helped each other. How 
the cabins were built. How things for the house were made. Use of books 
and papers. How the men of the community built a church, or did other 
public work. (Page 4, The life in the early community.) 

Tell whether the people of this early community got along together 
without trouble. Why did a government later become necessary? (Page 
4, bottom of page. Page 5.) 

2. WHAT IS A COMMUNITY? 

Give a definition of a community, using the following phrases: group 
of people — single locality — common interests — common laws. Give an 
illustration of a community that has few people and covers a large area. 
Give an illustration of a community that has a great many people and 
covers a small area. Tell why each state, and also the nation, is a com¬ 
munity. (Page 7, Definition of a community; Large and small communi¬ 
ties. ) 

Begin this paragraph with the following words: A group of farmers 

constitute a community because -Finish the sentence, telling 

two or three cemmon interests that unite a group of farmers into a com¬ 
munity. Now. explain why a group of farmers and the citizens of a 
nearby city are really members of one large community. The members 
of this large community are also members of what larger communities? 

(3) 



When we speak of citizenship, what do we usually mean? (Pages 7 and 8, 
Communities unite into larger communities. Page 8, Communities grow 
from small beginnings; Membership in a community.) 

3. THE SITE OF THE COMMUNITY. 

Write a sentence saying something about the importance of the land 
in determining the growth of a community. Tell what nature has done 
to determine the importance of cities, and in your sentences use the follow¬ 
ing phrases: a good harbor — the junction of two navigable rivers — water 
power — the center of a rich region. (Page 10, Importance of the land; 
Determining where cities shall grow.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: The character of 
the . land determines the health of a community. Why are low, flat regions 
bad? What is the effect of sluggish streams and stagnant lakes? Why 
is the supply of drinking water an important matter? In a city, where 
the population is dense, what may happen to the water supply? (Page 11, 
In relation to health.) 

Say something about the effect of climate on community life. How 
about the influence of natural resources* on the industries of a com¬ 
munity? Now write this sentence: A soft soil or a hilly country often 
is the cause of bad roads. Show how bad roads will affect the life and 
business of the farmer. (Page 11, Influence of climate; Influence of 
natural resources. Pages 11 and 12, Influence of surface features.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: In Virginia we find 
a good illustration of how the character of the land has determined the 
development and history of a large community. The climate, soil, and 
surface encouraged what agricultural pursuit? As a result of this, how r 
and where did most of the people live? Since ocean vessels could go up 
the rivers to the planters’ wharves, what effect did this have on the 
growth of cities ? The plantations required a large amount of cheap labor, 
and as a result what labor system was established? End the paragraph 
with the following sentence: All these facts show that the climate, soil, 
and surface of a country can have a great influence in determining its 
character and history. (Page 12, Influence of geography on the develop¬ 
ment of Virginia.) 

Write this sentence: The geography of our country has had a great 
influence in determining the development of the nation. What has been 
the effect of navigable rivers and easy conditions of railroad building? 
What has been the advantage of having a great ocean on the east, and 
another on the west? Have our geographical conditions been favorable 
to, or worked against, the development of a great nation of people with 
common interests and common laws? However, did the pioneers find it 
an easy task to overcome the obstacles of nature, when they conquered 
the wildernesses of the West? (Page 13, The home of our nation.) 

* The natural resources are the products of the land, the mines, the forests, the 
ocean, and the rivers. 


( 4 ) 



4. WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING. 

Begin this composition as follows: Man’s life is a constant effort to 
satisfy the wants and desires of which his life is made up. These wants 

are the desire for -. Finish the sentence by naming the principal 

desires that fill the life of man. Give the example of Columbus, and 
show what desires led him to discover a new world. Tell to what 
extremes men have sometimes gone to satisfy their religious desire. Tell 
what is meant by a well-rounded life. (Chapter TV, to the middle of 
page 17.) 

Write these sentences: People, in trying to satisfy their various desires, 
often conflict with each other. Many work against the common good. 
Illustrate, by speaking of the robber, the man who ejects a cheap, ugly 
building, and the employer who maintains a poorly ventilated factory or 
store. These people work against the best interests of society in trying 
to satisfy what desire? (Page 18, Conflicts of desires and activities.) 

AVrite this sentence: In order to secure harmony, people have estab¬ 
lished the school, the church, and the government. Tell how the school 
tries to secure harmony in the community. Through what desire does 
the church work? Quote the golden rule which it tries to teach to men. 
Why does the government establish and enforce laws? Who made the 
government? Then what should be our attitude toward it? Write the 
following sentence: The good purpose of government is stated in the 
preamble to the Constitution of the United States. (Page 18, Means to 
secure harmony.) 

Now, in another paragraph, copy all this: The preamble to the Consti¬ 
tution says: “We, the people of the United States, in order to form a 
more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide 
for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the 
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish 
this Constitution for the United States of America.” 

5. THE FAMILY. 

Write the following sentence: There are communities in our land in 
which there are no homes in the true sense of the word. Tell where 
some of these communities are to be found. What about life in such 
communities? Tell about the people living in cities, who have no home 
life. Among what people are the disorderly and criminal classes mostly 
found? (Page 20, The family in the community.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: A family once moved 
into the ivestern icilderness, where there were greater opportunities for 
earning a livelihood and accumulating wealth. Continue the paragraph, 
telling the story of the pioneer family as it is told in the text. Follow 
this outline: Selection of site. Lack of neighbors and roads. How the 
dwelling was built and furnished. How food was provided. Work done 
by the father and the mother. (Page 20, The pioneer family. Read the 
following paragraphs through to the paragraph at top of page 22.) 


( 5 ) 



Continue the story: The father’s protection against danger. The 
mother’s work in case of sickness. What the son learned at home. What 
the older girl learned at home. Education of the youngest child. How 
the children learned religion. The pleasures of the family. Law and 
order in the family. (Page 22, Protection against violence and disease. 
Read the following paragraphs through Government, on page 23.) 

Tell whether this pioneer family provided for all the desires which 
people have in a larger community. Tell whether it can be said that 
family life is a training for community life. Write this sentence: When 
a community grows up it establishes schools, churches, and a government 
to look after the wants of the people. Next tell whether the duties of 
the family disappear when the community does these things. If there is 
good government in the homes, what effect will it have on the government 
of the community? (Page 23, next to last paragraph, to the end of the 
chapter.) 


6. SERVICES RENDERED BY THE FAMILY. 

Begin by telling why many people in the larger cities live in tenements. 
Say something about home life in these tenements. Tell whether health 
in the tenements is good, or not, and give some reasons. Write one or 
more sentences speaking of fires, epidemics, and crime in the tenement 
districts. (Page 27, Creates interest in the community. Page 28, Dangers 
to home life in the cities. Page 29, The burden of the worst homes rests 
upon the whole community.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: In many large cities 
a movement has been begun for improving the co?iditions in the tenement 
districts. Continue the paragraph, following these suggestions: Removal 
and rebuilding. Sunlight. Plumbing. Open courts and yards, and why 
provided. Parks and playgrounds. What rapid transportation is doing 
for the slums. (Page 29, Movement toward reform.) 

In this paragraph tell of the kinds of laws that have been passed in 
some of the cities, to regulate the building of tenements. Have these laws 
been obeyed in every case? Have the officials of the cities always enforced 
them? (Page 31, Tenement house laws.) 

Tell what kind of a home turns out the best citizens. (Page 31, last 
paragraph.) 


7. THE MAKING OF AMERICANS. 

Make a statement about the number of foreigners who have come to 
this country to live. Give three reasons why immigrants leave their own 
country and come to ours. Prom what parts of Europe are most of the 
immigrants coming to-day? (Page 34, The bond of nationality; The 
foreign element in the United States. Page 36, Foreign groups within the 
nation.) 

In this paragraph tell what change comes over most of the immigrants, 
after they have been in this country for some time. Speak of the Germans, 
the Irish, the Poles, the Hungarians, and tell what they become. Use this 


( 6 ) 


sentence: We are a nation of foreigners, and explain what is meant by 
that. What has onr government done about the immigration of Chinese 
laborers? Tell why. (Page 36, The United States a nation of foreigners. 
Page 37, The growth of common interests.) 

Write about naturalization, telling what we mean by it, and what rights 
it gives the foreigner. Tell whether the government has been careful 
about naturalization, and explain. What is an alien? (Page 37, Natu¬ 
ralization. Page 38, Aliens.) 

In this paragraph tell what is necessary, if foreigners are to become 
good American citizens. Use the following phrases: sympathy with 
American ideas — blended with the mass of Americans — become Americans 
themselves. Use this sentence: The school does a great work in making 
good citizens out of foreigners. Tell how the school does this, speaking of 
the subjects taught, and speaking of the effect of being in the same school 
with American children. (Page 39, It is necessary that the foreigners be 
transformed; The influence of the public school .) 

8. THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND. 

Speak of the Homestead Act, passed by Congress in 1862. Tell how 
many acres a man can get, and what he must do in order to get it. Also, 
tell what the government did for the great Western railroads in the new 
country. Is there any government land open for settlement today ? (Page 
44, The settlement of the national domain.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: The government has 
surveyed nearly all the land of the country. Name the different kinds 
of lines that have been laid out. Write sentences naming the two kinds 
of divisions into which the land has been divided, and telling how large 
each kind of division is. (Page 45, The government survey.) 

Write a paragraph about the public land and reclamation, following 
these suggestions: What the public land is. Why much of it is useless. 
What the government is doing to reclaim this land. (Page 47, Public land.) 

Write a paragraph about the right of eminent domain. Follow this 
outline: What we mean by the right of eminent domain. Right of 
national government, states, counties, and cities. Give an example of the 
exercise of the right. Tell how justice is shown the citizen who owns the 
land taken. (Page 48, The right of eminent domain.) 

Tell what a franchise is. Name the kinds of companies that must get 
franchises. What is a company expected to do, in return for a franchise ? 
(Page 50, The granting of franchises.) 

9. CONSERVATION. 

Begin this composition with the following sentence: In writing about 
the relations between the people and the land, it is necessary to tell about 
conservation. Copy a sentence from the supplement which you think 
gives a good definition of conservation. Does conservation teach that we 


( 7 ) 


should deny ourselves the use of the natural resources, in order to save 
them? (Supplement I.) 

Follow this outline: Employment of experts by the government. What 
the experts found out about the supply of coal, iron ore, oil, and natural 
gas. Future importance of electricity. Danger concerning the ownership 
of water power. What California has done to protect the supply of natural 
gas. (Supplement I.) 

Speak of the supply of forests. Tell how long we can expect this natural 
resource to last if we cut it down and use it as we have been doing. Tell 
what a national forest reserve is, and whether these reserves can be owned 
by the lumbermen. Speak of the duties of the forest rangers. (Supple¬ 
ment I.) 

Explain how the forests can be used carefully, and what the result will 
be. Tell about California’s efforts at conservation. Speak of the Con¬ 
servation Commission of California. (Supplement I.) 

10. THE PROTECTION OF HEALTH. 

In your own words, tell what dangers there are to health and safety in 
the cities, which we do not usually find in the .country. Then write this 
sentence: Because of these facts, all cities have appointed a hoard of health. 
Explain what the duties of a board of health are. (Page 54, New dangers 
arise with the growth of communities. Page 55, Government is given 
charge over the health arrangements.) 

Write a paragraph on sewage and public health, following this outline: 
Danger when sewage flows into open streams. What a poor sewage system 
sometimes does to the supply of drinking water. Tell what disease killed 
many people in one of the eastern cities, and tell how it happened. (Page 
56, Sewers and water supply.) 

Speak of the danger there is in expectorating in public places, telling 
what disease is often spread because of such carelessness. What have 
cities done to prevent this? Is it very successful? (Page 58, Cleanliness.) 

Write a few sentences on the subject of public parks, using these expres¬ 
sions : crowded cities — fresh, pure air — grass and flowers — public health. 
Continue this paragraph with a sentence or two on the subject of public 
playgrounds and their purpose. (Page 60, Parks and playgrounds.) 

Write this sentence: The city does a great deal to prevent the spread 
of disease. Speak of the quarantining of a house as one method, telling 
what is meant by this kind of a quarantine. What are some of the cities 
doing in the schools, to prevent the spread of disease? (Page 60, Hospitals; 
quarantine.) 

Tell what happened when Chicago turned its sewage into the Illinois and 
Mississippi rivers. What does this show about the control of public health 
by the city governments alone? What board has been established by the 
state, to have charge of public health throughout the state? Tell two or 
three special matters this board has charge of. (Page 61, Dependence of 
one community on another. Page 62, Necessity for state supervision over 
health.) 


( 8 ) 


11. THE PROTECTION OF PROPERTY AND LIFE. 

Begin this paragraph with a sentence speaking of fire as a danger to 
property and life. Tell some of the things a good fire-fighting system must 
have in any city. What has been said to be the cause of seven-eighths 
of the fires that occur? Tell what laws have been passed by communities 
to prevent this. Say something about the care with which the laws have 
been enforced. (Page 68, Modern fire-fighting arrangements. Page 69, 
The water supply; Efficiency of city fire departments; Faidty construction 
of buildings. Page 70, Building ordinances.) 

Write a short paragraph on the rights of persons accused of crime, as 
guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. Use these suggestive 
phrases: fair trial — fellow citizens — known to be guilty — cruel and 
unusual punishments. What does the Constitution say about a person 
being “deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law”? 
(Page 71, The right to a fair trial.) 

In a short paragraph tell what we call the police officers of the townships. 
What are they called in counties? What department has charge of the 
police organization of a city? Tell whether.the police department is always 
as efficient as it should be. AVhen a person is arrested for a crime, what 
is done to prove his guilt or innocence? (Page 72, The police. Page 73, 
Duties of the police.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence taken from the text: 
Another important arrangement for the safety of property and life is a 
system of street lighting. Tell why street lighting is important in this 
matter. Tell two wmys in which street lighting plants can be owned. 
(Page 73, Street Lighting.) 

Now begin a paragraph with this sentence: Communities often regulate 
certain kinds of business for the sake of safety. Speak of the manufacture 
of explosives, and of the liquor traffic and pawn shops. Tell why, in each 
of these cases, the business should be regulated. (Page 74, Begulation of 
business for safety.) 

Write a paragraph on laws to prevent accidents. Follow this outline: 
Lives of the people in the hands of engineers, conductors, switchmen, and 
train dispatchers. Punishment for gross carelessness. Laws to prevent 
accidents. Give a few examples of such laws, speaking of railroad crossings, 
speed limits, exits, and any others you can think of. How well are such 
law y s usually enforced? (Page 74, Prevention of accidents. Page 75, Lax 
enforcement of laws to prevent accidents.) 

Of what service is the militia to the state? Of what service is it to the 
nation? (Page 75, The state militia.) 

Write a short paragraph on the army and navy, following this outline: 
Size of army. What the founders of the nation thought about the size 
of the army. Importance of the state militia in time of war. Position 
held in the army by the President of the United States. Why a strong 
navy has become necessary. (Page 76, National defense ; The army. Page 
77, The navy.) 

Tell some of the things the national government has done to protect 
life and property along the coast. (Page 78, Life saving on the coast.) 

(9) 


12. THE BUSINESS LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY. 

In this paragraph we are going to speak of what is called the division 
of labor, showing how it began in the pioneer families, and is now nation¬ 
wide. Follow this outline: If a pioneer family needed shoes or clothing 
or furniture, where were these things made? Say that one member of a 
family became an expert at making shoes; then what did this member do 
when many families came and settled near by? Was this true in the case 
of bakers, millers, blacksmiths, and other trades? Can it be said that 
nowadays men usually work at only one trade to earn their living? In a 
great factory does one man do many different things, or only one little 
thing? Give an illustration from a factory for the manufacture of milling 
machinery. Can it be said that a man who does such a little thing creates 
wealth for the community? When we say that he gets so much a day 
for his work, what do we really mean? (Page 83, The pioneer family 
was dependent largely on itself; The results . of a division of labor. Page 
84, Effect of modern industrial organization.) 

Explain how we have division of occupations in accordance with geo¬ 
graphical location. Give illustrations. Show how a man raising vegetables 
near San Francisco might get different necessaries of life from different 
parts of the country. When you think of these facts, what can you say 
about every part of the country being dependent on every other part? 
(Page 84, Geographical division of labor.) 

Are the men who run the machines of a factory usually the men who 
own them? Can it be said that each set of men depends on the other? 
Which set of men has usually had the advantage in a strike or conflict? 
Tell why. Explain why workmen have formed unions. What must the 
unions remember? (Page 85, Dependence of employer and employee on 
each other.) 

Besides giving fair wages, what else is an employer expected to do for 
his workmen? Why does it pay an employer to do this? (Page 88, The 
responsibility of the citizen in business.) 

Use this sentence: Every citizen, in his business life, is really working 
for the good of the community as a whole. Explain what you mean by 
that. Now write this sentence, which is taken from the text: Business 
life, and in fact the whole life of the community, could not be successfully 
carried on if it were not for the confidence that men have in each other. 
Explain what is meant by the statement. (Page 88, A citizen’s business 
is also the community’s business; also the remainder of the chapter.) 

13. GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS LIFE. 

Begin this composition with the following sentence: The Revolutionary 
War was brought about because England violated many of the property 
rights and business rights of the colonists. Tell some of the ways in which 
England violated these rights. As a result of these facts, what demand 
did the people make when our Constitution was drawn up? (Page 92, The 
sacredness of property rights.) 


GO) 


What branch of government has control over the business matters within 
the borders of a state? Over what kinds of business has the national 
government control? From what branch of government do men usually 
get the right to form a corporation? (Page 92, The desire for self- 
government in business matters. Page 93, State control over all ordinary 
business relations.) 

Write a paragraph telling some of the things states do for working 
people. Follow these suggestions: Health of workers. Sanitary condi¬ 
tions. Inspection by state officials. Child labor. Hours of labor for 
women. How has California limited the time during which children under 
eighteen can work? What is the age limit under which children cannot 
work for wages in California ? Are there any exceptions to this rule ? How 
has the State of California limited the hours of work for women? (Page 
93, State control over all ordinary business matters. Supplement II.) 

Tell whether business in our country was in a settled state before the 
adoption of the Constitution. What made it necessary to adopt the Con¬ 
stitution? The Constitution gives Congress certain power over the levying 
and collecting of taxes. Say so, and in your sentence use the following 
phrase: for the common defense and general welfare. Can a state lay a 
tax on goods coming in from another state? Why? What about the 
power of Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among 
the several states? What about the coining of money? (Page 94, The 
need of a national government; The powers of Congress in business 
matters.) 

Tell why Congress has levied high import duties. What effect has this 
had on the manufacture of goods at home? Write in your composition 
that when we have high import duties it is called a protective tariff. Tell 
what consuls are, and why they are appointed. Could you say that Con¬ 
gress rendered great aid to the business of the country when it established 
the postal service? What is the purpose of the Department of Commerce 
and Labor? What would you say is the real purpose of the government 
in passing so many laws regulating business? (Page 95, Foreign and 
interstate commerce. Page 96, The purpose of government is to afford 
opportunity.) 

14. WASTE AND SAVING. 

Tell some of the ways in which a housekeeper is often wasteful. What 
are the schools doing about this? (Page 98, Waste in the household. Page 
99, Women are the managers of the household; The responsibility of the 
school.) 

Tell some of the ways in which a skillful business man avoids waste. 
Tell what by-products are, and what is done with a great deal of them. 
(Page 99, Waste in business.) 

Write this sentence: When a man hoards his money, by putting it in a 
safe or a vault, he is wasteful. Tell some of the things he could do with 
his money that would not be wasteful. Explain how investment would 
benefit the community. Tell whether it is wasteful for a man to put his 


( 11 ) 


money in a bank. Why? (Page 100, Saving is not hoarding; Saving by 
investment is a duty.) 

Write a paragraph on waste in government, following these suggestions: 
Why it is wasteful not to keep roads and streets in good condition. Why 
it is wasteful not to repair sidewalks when necessary. Effect of a poor 
fire department. Effect of having poor public officials. Costly improve¬ 
ments. Whom do the people usually blame for a wasteful government? 
Explain how it is that the people themselves are largely to blame. (Page 
100, Waste in government; also the remainder of the chapter.) 

15. TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION. 

Make a statement about transportation in the early days. Next use the 
following sentence, taken from the text: The country roads are the founda¬ 
tion of our transportation system. Tell why this is true. Why is it 
cheaper to have good roads than poor ones? Give a reason why county 
management of country roads is better than township management. Very 
briefly, tell whether the national government ever engaged in road building. 
In the same way, tell whether any of the state governments are now doing 
anything toward building up the country roads. (Page 103, Community 
life implies communication; Cost of transportation. Page 104, Importance 
of country roads. Page 105, Improvement in methods of road making. 
Page 106, The National Road; The state management of roads.) 

Make a statement about the value of good roads to the county and to 
the whole state. Tell whether the same can be said for water routes and 
other means of communication. Very briefly, tell of some of the things 
the state and national governments have done to improve water communi¬ 
cation, speaking of improvements, coast surveys, and canals. What is the 
greatest canal work ever undertaken? (Page 106, State management of 
roads. Page 107, River transportation. Page 108, River and harbor 
improvement. Pages 108 and 109, Canals.) 

What means of transportation have been the greatest in developing our 
country? Say something about their effect in binding us together into 
one nation. When the great western roads Avere proposed, what did Con¬ 
gress do for them? Are railroads OAAmed by the government in this 
country? Say something about the number of OAvners of railroads in this 
country. (Page 109, Railroads. Page 110, Government control of rail¬ 
roads. ) 

Write a short paragraph telling what the electric railroads are doing 
for people living in the country places. (Page 110, Electric interurban 
lines .) 

Write a paragraph on the management of city streets, following these 
suggestions: Department having work in charge. Employment of engi¬ 
neers. Reason why poor street commissioners and other officers are often 
appointed. Granting of contracts through political favoritism. Results 
when contracts are let in this way. Use this sentence: The city passes 
many laius regulating the use of the streets and, sidewalks. Give some 


( 12 ) 


examples of such ordinances. (Page 111, Transportation in cities. Page 
112, Blocking the streets.) 

Name the different uses to which city streets are put by various kinds 
of companies. Tell what a franchise is, and on what conditions a franchise 
is granted. Tell how -public officials often do wrong when they grant 
these franchises. Write the following sentence: The text-hook says, “Some¬ 
times the officers of government dishonestly andl unpatriotically give away 
the people’s rights for private gain.” Explain what is meant by giving 
away the people’s rights for private gain. (Page 50, The granting of 
franchises. Page 112, Franchises.) 

Write this sentence: Many people say that the cities ought, to own and 
operate their own street railways. Tell what they claim could be done 
regarding the service and fares. In reply to this, what do many people 
say concerning the ability of a city to manage such affairs? (Page 114, 
Government ownership of railways.) 

In a few sentences, tell what the railways, roads, canals, postal system, 
the telegraph and telephone, and the newspaper, have done for our country. 
In the United States does the government own and operate the telegraph 
system, as it does the postal system? (Page 114, Government ownership 
of railways; also the remainder of the chapter.) 

16. THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION. 

Tell what is meant by interstate commerce. Give an example of a 
railroad doing this kind of business. To what body of men has the Consti¬ 
tution given the power to regulate this kind of commerce ? How was the 
Interstate Commerce Commission created, and what is its duty? (Supple¬ 
ment III.) 

Write this sentence: The duties of the commission can best be explained 
by speaking of certain evils that have existed in the conduct of the railroads 
of the country. Say that one of these evils is the system of “rebates.” 
Tell what rebates are by following this outline: Different railway com¬ 
panies want to get business of carrying oil. One big oil . company and 
many little ones. Secret understanding between railroad and big oil com¬ 
pany. How this is unfair to the little companies. Duty of the Interstate 
Commerce Commission. (Supplement III.) 

Use this sentence: There may be two railroads fighting each other for 
business. Then follow this outline: What the owners decide. Formation 
of secret combination. What they agree to do about rates. Effect on 
price of oil. How this affects the people who buy the oil. Duty of 
Interstate Commerce Commission. The anti-trust law. (Supplement III.) 

Begin this paragraph with this sentence: Sometimes there is one railroad 
which has a monopoly on the business of a certain district. Tell what 
this railroad will do with its prices, if permitted to do so. Speak of the 
duty of the Interstate Commerce Commission in this matter. Tell what 
interstate railroads must do, before they can raise their rates. Speak of 
the power of the commission in fixing rates. (Supplement III.) 


( 13 ) 


17. EDUCATION. 

Why does a despotic government oppose popular education ? What 
state in our Union was among the first to provide elementary schools? 
What caused New England to grow? How does general education affect 
the growth and success of a free country? What has Congress reserved 
for education, whenever new states have been created in the West? (Page 
118, Governor Berkeley on education. Page 119, paragraph at top; The 
family and education; Education a fundamental idea of our government.) 

Upon what division of government does the main duty of education 
fall? What local districts have been given large duties in education? 
In writing of these local districts, speak of the board of trustees. Tell 
how the county superintendent of schools is chosen, and what he does. 
Explain how city schools are managed. Write a sentence speaking of the 
State Board of Education and the State Superintendent of Public Instruc¬ 
tion. What do most of the states provide for the purpose of higher 
education? (Page 120, Education in the hands of state and local gov¬ 
ernments. Page 121, Township and county management; The organi¬ 
zation and management of country schools. Page 122. Page 123, State 
universities.) 

Does the national government do anything for education? Speak of 
the Bureau of Education and the United States Commissioner of Educa¬ 
tion. What schools are maintained by the national government? Without 
using exact figures, speak of the cost of education in the United States. 
(Page 123, Educational work of the national government. Page 124, Cost 
of education.) 

Now write a paragraph telling of the purpose behind public education, 
and the reason why the government goes to such great expense in estab¬ 
lishing and maintaining common schools. Follow these suggestions: Educa¬ 
tion not for advantage of children alone. Better citizens. Course of study 
should train for citizenship. The school really a community. Why the 
school is the same as a community. Necessity for industry. Organization 
and government. Responsibility of each member. Effect of failure or 
wrongdoing. Things learned in athletics. (Page 124, Why the govern¬ 
ment stands the expense; How the school trains for citizenship. Page 125, 
The principles of community life found in the school.) 

Tell why education is said to be a duty. Next use this sentence: Because 
of this fact , many states have passed compulsory education laws. Tell 
what these laws are. Until what age must children attend school in 
California? What exceptions are there? What can you say about the 
dropping out of pupils from the schools? What has a community the 
right to expect from its educated people? (Page 126, Education a duty. 
Page 127, The responsibility of the high school pupil. Supplement IV.) 

Write a paragraph naming some other institutions besides the public 
schools which are conducted for the purposes of education. (Page 128, 
Other educational institutions.) 


( 14 ) 


18. CIVIC BEAUTY. 

Begin this composition with the following sentence: Much of the beauty 
of nature disappears with the advance of civilization. Give some illus¬ 
trations of this fact. Next use this sentence: The government has been 
able to do a great deal to preserve the beauty of nature. Now tell what 
the government can do, using the following suggestive phrases: preserva¬ 
tion of the forests — pollution of streams — untidy premises along the 
streams — making parks along the banks — national and state parks — 
Yellowstone and Yosemite. (Page 132, Civilization destroys much beauty 
of nature. Page 133, Unnecessary destruction of natural beauty.) 

Use this sentence: As man destroys natural beauty in the building of 
cities, he endeavors to build and plant things which will add to the 
beauty of his surroundings. Continue the paragraph, writing of some 
of the things man has done to add to the beauty of his surroundings. 
Follow this outline: Different kinds of beautiful structures. Lawns, vines, 
and flowers. What school children can do. What can be done with home 
yards, school grounds, and vacant lots. How children can prove their 
good citizenship. How children can help keep the streets clean. (Page 
134, Community life creates opportunities for art; Beauty in the home. 
Page 136, The children’s opportunity. Page 137, Beauty in the school; 
Beauty in the street. Page 139, Littering the streets. Page 140.) 

Write a paragraph on the destruction and mutilation of trees, following 
this outline: Insects and parasites. The government and the problem of 
tree pests. What some European cities are doing to replace trees. Pur¬ 
pose of Arbor Day. (Page 141, Destruction and mutilation of trees.) 

What objection is there to telegraph, telephone, and trolley poles in 
the cities? What is the objection to a network of wires in the business 
portions of cities? How have many cities settled these matters? Write 
this sentence: Another thing that is harmful to the appearance of the 
streets is unsightly advertising. Give some examples. (Page 142, Poles 
and wires; Advertisements and billboards.) 

Make a statement telling whether many cities have systems of parks and 
boulevards. Speak of the laying out of parks in the crowded portions of 
some cities, using the words tumble-down buildings, grass, trees, flowers, 
fountains. Tell the reason why these parks are being built. Next use 
this sentence: Smoke from the factory chimneys is a great nuisance in 
many cities. Then tell w r hat some cities are doing about it. (Page 143, 
Parks and boulevards. Page 144, Prevention of smoke.) 

Tell whether the cities are becoming more beautiful or not. What 
can be said of the taste of the people for beauty and refinement? What 
is the effect on the people when their surroundings are unpleasant? (Page 
145, The desire for beauty is groiving stronger. Page 146, Beautiful 
surroundings produce better citizenship.) 


2—17 


( 15 ) 


19. GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION. 

Begin this composition with the following sentence, taken from the 
text: The love of religion has played a very important part in the history 
of the world. Illustrate this by speaking of Columbus, the Spanish con¬ 
querors, the French explorers, and the Pilgrims. Why did the Puritans 
come to America? Tell what the attitude of the Puritans towards other 
religions was, illustrating with the case of Roger Williams. (Page 149, 
Religion has been a powerful motive in history. Page 150, Religious 
intolerance in colonial times.) 

Tell whether there was full religious freedom in the American Colonies 
before the Revolution. Give some one fact to illustrate. What change 
took place after the Revolution? What is the attitude of the government, 
now, toward a man’s religious opinions? Write a sentence using the 
following sentence, and telling what it is from: iC Congress shall make no 
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise 
thereof.” What do the state governments do in the matter of taxing 
church property? Why is religion a good thing for the state? (Page 150, 
The relation between the church and the government in colonial times. 
Page 151, Separation between religion and the government. Remainder 
of chapter.) 


20. CHARITY AND CRIME. 

Tell whether communities have always cared for the helpless and the 
aged. What was often done with them? What is now felt to be'the 
duty of the community in these matters? Very briefly, speak of what 
the community does for the following classes: blind, deaf and dumb, 
insane, homeless aged, orphaned children. What branches of the govern¬ 
ment are doing most of this kind of work? (Page 153, Treatment of the 
helpless by the uncivilized. Page 154, It is the duty of the community 
to care for the helpless; It is a care of the state.) 

Give two or three causes of poverty. Say something about the church 
and the government, and their work in the matter of relieving the poor. 
Write the following sentences: Charity is often given to people without 
ever finding out the cause of their poverty. Different societies may be 
giving them relief at the same time. We often give money to professional 
beggars who take advantage of our sympathies. After writing the fore¬ 
going sentences, tell what harm will come from doing those things. (Page 
155, Poverty; Poor relief; The danger of unorganized charity.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: At the present time 
all large cities have charity bureaus, or organization societies, which are 
Dying to make the charity work more systematic. Tell the purpose of 
these bureaus, following these suggestions: Investigation. Exposure of 
impostors. Removal of causes. Finding employment. Evils of tenement 
life. Encouragement. Tell what good it does the individual to be given 
an opportunity. (Page 156, Charity organization.) 

How do we feel, to-day, toward cruel punishments for crime? What 
do we consider more important than punishment ? Tell how we feel about 


( 16 ) 


the reform of criminals, and in your statement use the words disease and 
cure. What has been done about the death penalty in some of the states'? 
Write a few lines using the phrase indeterminate sentence, and telling 
what is meant by such a sentence. How are prisoners treated in the 
state prisons, and what is the object of this treatment? (Page 157, Treat¬ 
ment of criminals in early times; The protection of the community and the 
reformation of the criminal.) 

Begin a paragraph with the following sentence: The community now 
does a great deal to prevent crime, rather than waiting until crime is 
committed, and then punishing the offender. Speak of reform schools 
being established, and tell what they are for. Say that these reform 
schools keep the young offenders away from the hardened criminals, and 
explain what good this does. Tell of juvenile courts, using the words 
probation and probation officers. (Page 158, The prevention of crime.) 

Is it the national or state governments that have most to do in regulating 
crime and correcting criminals ? When does the national government have 
control over crime? What written body of laws protects the rights of 
accused persons? Is a man considered innocent or guilty before he is 
proven guilty? To what kind of a trial is every man accused of crime 
entitled? (Pages 158 and 159, Regulation of crime by the state. Page 
159, Regulation of crime by the national government. Page 160, The 
protection of the rights of the accused.) 

21. HOW THE COMMUNITY GOVERNS ITSELF.* 

Begin this composition with the following sentences taken partly from 
the text: In community life the welfare of one is the welfare of all. But 
people often get the impression that community life is a life of conflict 
rather than of harmonious action. Make some statements to show why 
people often think as the latter sentence says they do. Now% having 
these facts in mind, state the purpose of government. Write a sentence 
containing the phrase, the servant of the people and not their master. 
What does the preamble of the Constitution say about the duty of the 
government toward the people? (Page 161, The purpose of government; 
Government the servant, not the master, of the people.) 

Tell what is meant by representative government. Write the following 

sentence: Representative government is found in the -,-, 

and _ branches of our government. Pill in the blanks with the 

names of the three common branches of government. Tell whether we 
are all subject to all three branches. (Page 162, Direct and representative 
self -government; The threefold character of our government.) 

Write the following sentence: When the Constitution was made, each 
of the thirteen states teas a government by itself. Begin the next sentence 
with the following words, and finish the sentence: But it was necessary 

* This composition, based on Chapter XIX of the text, takes no account of a 
large part of the material contained in that chapter. The material omitted has to 
do with a system of nominations now out of date in California. In an oral discus¬ 
sion of the chapter the teacher would do well likewise to omit any reference to this 
material. 


(IT) 




to have a central government became -. What is the federal gov¬ 

ernment f What bod}" of laws grants certain powers to the federal gov¬ 
ernment? All powers which the federal government cannot exercise are 
left to what branch? Which branch of the government has the greatest 
control over our conduct, the national or the state? Name some of the 
matters over which the stafe has control. (Page 163, Division of powers 
between national and state governments; also the two paragraphs fol¬ 
lowing ) 

State and national governments get their powers directly from whom 
or what? A state government is organized according to a body of laws 
which is called what ? Who makes this body of laws ? Speak of the 
organization of a city government, using the word charter. To whom 
and by whom is a charter granted? Has the local government any law¬ 
making powers? Explain, using the following phrases: touch the life of 
the individual most closely-—purely local interest. (Page 164, Relation 
between state and local governments.) 

Write three sentences telling the duties of the legislative, executive, and 
judicial branches of government. Write a sentence saying t^iat these 
three branches have the power to check each other. Illustrate how it 
can be done. Write a sentence speaking of this system, and in it use the 
phrase, system of checks and balances. Tell why we have such a system. 
(Page 165, The separation of legislative, executive, and judicial powers.) 

By whom are representatives chosen in our government? How was it 
before the Revolutionary War, so far as the colonists and the English 
Parliament were concerned? Name some of the representatives which the 
voters of the various states elect? (Page 167, Representatives chosen by 
the people from their own local districts.) 

Tell what the suffrage is. What branch of the government gives the 
right to vote? Can all citizens vote? What body of laws tells who has 
the right to vote in any state? Tell what the fifteenth amendment to the 
Constitution of the United States says about the right to vote, and in 
your answer use this phrase: on account of race, color, or previous condition 
of servitude. This amendment was passed in the interest of whom? Tell 
whether many of the people had the right to vote at the beginning of our 
history. Tell whether all the people can vote to-day. Speak of restric¬ 
tions as to age, residence* women. Tell whether people are now required 
to hold property or go to a certain church? How about the rights of the 
mentally unsound and criminals? How is it in some states regarding 
ignorant people and paupers? In some states aliens are given the right 
to vo + e under what condition? (Page 168, The suffrage; Qualifications 
for the suffrage.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence, taken from the text: 
In questions of government there are differences of opinion. Then tell 
what a political party is. Tell how there may be a purely local political 
part-. What kinds of questions might cause the formation of national 
political parties? What is the chief purpose of a national convention 
of a party? Write the following sentence: Betiveen the time of nomi- 


( 18 ) 


noting and the final election comes what is called the campaign. Tell 
what the parties do during the campaign. Write two or three sentences 
telling what the duties of the central committees are. How about the 
importance of the state and national committees of a party? (Page 170, 
Political parties. Page 173; top of page. Page 173, Organization of the 
party.) 

When the Constitution was written what did it say about the method 
of electing United States senators? What demand arose among the 
people regarding a change in this method? What is the method to-day? 
(Page 174, Indirect election of some representatives. Supplement V.) 

What is the duty of the electors, sometimes called the electoral college f 
How are the electors chosen in all the states? For what candidates do 
the electors of a political party always vote? (Page 174, bottom of page. 
Page 175, top of page.) 

Write a short paragraph on the following question: If the government 
is the servant of the people, should the people obey their servant? (Page 
175, The citizen must obey the government as the agent of the community. 
Also the remainder of the chapter.) 

22. THE DIRECT PRIMARY. 

Begin this composition with the following sentence: Candidates for 
positions in the state government were formerly nominated at party con¬ 
ventions. Complete the paragraph, telling about the objections that have 
been raised against the convention method. Use the following phrases: 
managed by political bosses — candidates pledged to obey the bosses — tools 
of corporations and other large interests — corporations often want laws 
passed — candidates who will serve the corporations. (Supplement YI.) 

What has been said about the convention system being undemocratic? 
In a true democracy who are the rulers? Why, then, is a direct primary 
system said to be more democratic? At a direct primary election, what 
candidates are chosen by the important political parties? What election 
follows the direct primary election? (Supplement VI.) 

Write this sentence: Suppose there are five prominent Republicans in 
the state, all of whom want to be governor. Tell what each one of them 
must do with a petition. When all five men do this what do they become? 
Now, how about the Democrats who want to become governor? At the 
primary election, which follows, what do the members of the Republican 
and Democratic parties do? At the general election, which follows the 
primary election, what do all the voters of the state do? (Supplement YI.) 

What other officers besides governor are nominated at direct primaries 
in California ? Are the candidates for President and Yice President nomi¬ 
nated at direct primaries? If not, how? (Supplement YI.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: In California and 
some other states the people have adopted what is known as the presi¬ 
dential preference primary. By means of this primary the voters of a 
party have the right to express their choice for what ? The actual 


( 19 ) 


nomination, of course, takes place where? How do the members of a 
party choose the men who are to go to the convention of their party? 
Who are these men in honor bound to support at the convention, as their 
candidate for President? Of course the final choice of President comes 
when? (Supplement VI.) 


23. DEFECTS IN SELF-GOVERNMENT. 

Speak of one trouble often found with our government, using the 
following phrase: government of the people l)y a few. Give a reason 
for this. Illustrate by telling of the community’s need for good officers, 
and of why many of the best citizens are unwilling to hold office. Tell 
whether you would call it unpatriotic for citizens to shirk public service 
in this way. Tell of three other ways in which lack of patriotism is 
frequently shown. Write two or three sentences about each. (Page 178, 
Self-government demands active interest of all citizens; The duty of taking 
office. Page 179, Patriotism in jury service; Patriotism in paying taxes; 
Patriotism in voting.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: There are several 
reasons why men stay away from the primary elections. Continue the 
paragraph, explaining these reasons, and using the following suggestive 
phrases in your sentences: too busy — too unimportant — unacquainted 
with the candidates ■— cannot vote intelligently . — But if a citizen is suffi¬ 
ciently interested - Feeling among the voters that their votes 

have no influence because - By staying away, the timid voters 

give up -(Page 180, Why men do not attend the primaries; 

Primaries controlled by a few.) 

Why are political parties necessary under a form of government like 
ours? What should be the true purpose of every political party? Is a 
good citizen loyal to the party itself, or to the things which the party 
stands for? When a party represents a majority of the voters, and 
when it elects its candidates, what power does that party have over our 
government? How about the rights of the minority? (Page 181, Dangers 
of the party spirit. Page 182, The majority should rule for the benefit 
of all.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: In order to secure 
united action, the members of a party must be organized, and they must 
be under the direction of leaders. Make a statement saying that you will 
explain how this organization is usually worked out. Then tell what 
district leaders are (called ward leaders in the text), and explain how 
the district leaders get their positions. What is the power of the city 
leaders, or ring as it is called? Say something about how large a party 
organization is, and where it has branches. Tell what is called the machine. 
Tell what we mean by a political ring. What is a boss? (Page 182, The 
party machine, rings and bosses.) 

Do party machines, rings, and bosses always stand for that which is 
bad in politics? or, do they sometimes stand for that which is good? If a 


( 20 ) 





machine falls into the hands of bosses who are ambitious only for them¬ 
selves, or only for their party, what is the result? Explain the relation 
which often arises between bosses and rings, on the one hand, and cor¬ 
porations on the other, and tell the result. Speak of argument and 
persuasion, threats, bribery, and promises of appointment to government 
positions, and tell what use the bosses often make of these. (Page 182, 
Party management for selfish ends. Page 183, Despotism of wealthy cor¬ 
porations; How the party maintains control over voters.) 

The civil service of the government is made up of officers who get their 
positions in what way? Give some idea of the number of civil service 
employees in the national government. Is there civil service also in the 
state and local governments? With whom should the members of the 
Cabinet agree in matters of politics? But is this necessary in the case of 
judges of the courts? Why? Is it true in the case of postmen and mail 
clerks? Why? (Page 183, The civil service.) 

Tell what the spoils system is, and in your explanation use the phrase, 
to the victors belong the spoils. Tell who began the system. Speak of 
the evils of the system, mentioning first the effect of frequent changes in 
the staff of government officials. Speak of using government offices as 
booty, or rewards for party service, explaining what is meant by this. 
Under the spoils system why will many men go into politics? In 1883 
Congress passed a civil service law and appointed the Civil Service Com¬ 
mission, in order to do what? Now write this sentence: The civil service 
law set up a merit system, to take the place of the spoils system. Then tell 
what is meant by the merit system. Are all civil service positions in the 
national government now filled in this way? Has the merit system been 
applied to civil service positions in all cities and states? (Page 184, The 
spoils system; Government offices are posts of service, not a reward: The 
merit system in the civil service.) 

What is the purpose of the Australian system of elections? Write this 
sentence: Under the old system of elections voters could be ivatched, and 
any one could tell how they voted. Why was this an evil thing? How is 
secrecy assured under the Australian system? Tell whether a voting 
machine accomplishes the same result. Why is secrecy in voting necessary ? 
(Page 185, Reform of the primaries; The Australian ballot.) 

Why should every good citizen take an active part in the government? 
When a community has a corrupt government,, and the good citizens 
become aroused, what is the result ? What is every citizen’s supreme duty ? 
When we find cases where our government is wrongly used, is that proof 
that our government is all wrong? Because some officers are grafters, or 
inefficient, is that a proof that all officers are bad? Can we trust the 
great majority of people to do right? Can it be said that conditions in 
our government are getting worse or better? If we see more corruption 
to-day than we used to see, why is it? (Page 185, Responsibility of the 
citizen for reform. Page 186, Conditions are getting better, not worse.) 


( 21 ) 


24. TOWNSHIP AND COUNTY. 

Are county and township governments the same in all parts of the 
Union? How is California divided into counties and townships? Why 
do we have counties and townships? (Supplement VII.) 

What two officers are elected in the townships? Tell what the duties 
of each are. What is a .justices’ court? (Supplement VII.) 

Write the following two sentences: In each county a large number of 
officers are elected. The sheriff is one of the most important officers. 
Briefly name the important duties of the sheriff. (Supplement VII.) 

Tell in a few sentences what the district attorney does. It may be 
said that he acts as what for the county? (Supplement VII.) 

Write a few sentences telling the duties of the auditor. (Supple¬ 
ment VII.) 

Write a very short paragraph on the county clerk, telling what he 
keeps in his office, and anything else you can say about him. (Supple¬ 
ment VII.) 

Write eight short paragraphs, telling what each of the following eight 
officials does: treasurer, recorder, assessor, tax collector, public adminis¬ 
trator, superintendent of schools, coroner, surveyor. (Supplement VII.) 

The board of supervisors makes laws for what branch of the government ? 
Give some examples of laws that might be passed by the supervisors. 
Why do the supervisors of San Francisco county pass laws for the city 
of San Francisco? (Supplement VII.) 

25. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY. 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: In many states the 
legislature makes the charters for the cities. What effect is this said to 
have on good city government ? How do California cities get their 
charters? How do they amend them? What is home rule? (Page 199, 
Cities receive their right of self-government from the state; Control by 
the legislature. Supplement VIII, last paragraph.) 

What is the city council? How are its members chosen? What about 
the veto power of the mayor? Tell how far the lawmaking powers of 
the council extend, using the words, local interest. Say something about 
the importance of the council’s power in controlling taxation and expendi¬ 
tures for city purposes. Speak about the council and the granting of 
franchises. (Page 201, The city council; Powers of the council.) 

What is the chief executive officer of the city usually called? Tell 
whether the mayor is the only member of the executive branch of the 
city government. Then illustrate this fact by writing a sentence using 
the following words: health department — fire department — police depart¬ 
ment — street department — board of public works — board of education. 
Are the members of these boards and departments always elected by the 
people, or are they sometimes appointed by the mayor? (Page 202, 
Executive: The mayor; Administrative departments. Page 203, Mingling 
of legislative and executive powers .) 


( 22 ) 


Why in America have most of the city officers been elected by popular 
vote for short terms ? Because of the complexity of city affairs, and 
the numerous officers necessary to handle them, what about fixing respon¬ 
sibility ? In handling vast sums of money, granting franchises, and letting 
contracts, what is likely to happen? Tell whether there is likely to be 
graft in these things. As a result, men responsible in these matters now 
frequently get their positions how? Then who is held responsible? (Page 
204, Concentration of powers in the mayor.) 

What has been the effect of the spoils system on city government? 
Illustrate, using these suggestions: New mayor elected. Appoints heads 
of departments. Heads of departments appoint subordinates. Old 
employees removed. Personal or political friends. Tell whether this is 
due in any way to the part national political parties take in city elections. 
Why have national political questions no place in city affairs? Tell why 
the national parties retain their hold on city politics, following these 
suggestions: Party spirit and interest. Rewards for faithful party 
workers. Speak of the merit system as a cure for some of these evils. 
(Page 204, Political parties and city government.) 

28. THE COMMISSION FORM OF CITY GOVERNMENT. 

What unhopeful statement have some people made regarding city gov¬ 
ernment in America? Tell why they have made this statement, following 
these suggestions: Bribing. Contracts for graft. Handling of public 
funds. Outrageous prices. Quality and character of public servants. 
Vice. But how do the majority of good American citizens feel about all 
this? Tell whether a movement has begun for a new kind of city gov¬ 
ernment, using the phrase, commission form of government. Supple¬ 
ment VIII.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: Under this com¬ 
mission form of government we elect a hoard of commissioners , usually 
composed of five men. Then tell just exactly what the duties of this 
commission are. The commission elects a chairman who is sometimes 
called the what? Now write this' sentence: The commission also divides 
up the executive work of the city among its members. Explain how this is 
done, using the following phrases: commissioner of public works — commis¬ 
sioner of streets — commissioner of public health and safety — commissioner 
of education — commissioner of finance. In this way each commissioner 
is personally in charge of a certain branch of what? (Supplement VIII.) 

What does the commission in the city of Sacramento do regarding the 
offices of city attorney, city assessor, city treasurer, and judge of the 
police court? How have these officers been chosen under the old form 
of city government? Why does it make no difference what political 
opinions these men may have? Why is it considered better to have them 
appointed than to have them elected? (Supplement VIII.) 

What great good is claimed for the commission form of government? 
Why will the commission be responsible to the people? What will each 
one of the commissioners be personally responsible for? Now write the 

( 23 ) 


following sentence: Suppose a sewer is to be constructed. Finish the 
paragraph by telling who would be responsible to the people for graft 
and poor work in constructing the sewer. (Supplement VIII.) 

Write this sentence: Each commissioner is usually elected for a term 
of five years. During this time how is he expected to improve himself 
as a servant of the people? Illustrate by telling what the commissioner 
of education is supposed to do. (Supplement VIII.) 

Briefly tell what is meant by home rule. Tell whether many California 
cities have taken advantage of home rule by adopting the commission form 
of government. (Supplement VIII.) 

27. GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE. 

How is a state constitution made, and by whom only can it be changed? 
Before an amendment to the constitution becomes law, what election must 
be held? What is meant by revising the constitution? What has the 
constitution of the state to do with the rights and liberties of the people? 
Speak of the bill of rights. Say something of the Constitution and the 
plan of state government. (Page 208, State constitutions; Amendment 
and revision. Page 209, The Constitution represents the supreme will of 
the people; General plan of government.) 

How many houses are there in the legislature of each state? What is 
the upper house called? What does the text say the lower house is 
called? Write a sentence saying that in California the lower house is 
not called by this name, but is called the assembly. In order to become 
a law a bill must pass what? It must also be signed by whom? Speak 
of the governor’s veto power. (Page 209, The legislature. Page 210, 
Checks on the lawmaking power.) 

How are the members of the legislature chosen? In many states how 
often does the legislature meet? Who presides over the state senate? What 
officer is chosen by the lower house to preside over it? Tell how com¬ 
mittees are appointed and what they are for. Tell whether the lawmaking 
power of the legislature is limited by the Constitution, laws, and treaties 
of the United States, and by the constitution of the state. (Page 210, 
second paragraph; also, Restriction on the legislature by the Constitution.) 

Write the following sentence: Many influences are often brought to bear 
on the legislature by outside interests, in order to secure desired laws. 
Tell what the political boss often has to do with this. Tell what citizens 
and corporations often do when they want the legislature to pass certain 
desired laws; in doing so, use the word lobbying. Now use the .following 
sentence: Legislatures are also strongly influenced by public opinion. 
Tell how public opinion is expressed and speak of its importance. (Page 
212, Influence on legislation; Public opinion.) 

Tell what the courts are for, using the following words: meaning of 
the law, or how it applies to a particular case. Say something about the 
lowest courts of the state, using the phrases, justices’ courts, justices of 
the peace, police courts. Tell whether there are many of these courts. 
(Page 213, Justices’ courts.) 


( 24 ) 


How many superior courts are there in each county? In what kinds 
of counties do we find more than one department of the superior court? 
The majority of what kind of cases come to trial in the superior courts? 
If an appeal is granted from a justice’s court to the superior court, what 
does that mean? (Page 213, Superior courts; also the following 
paragraph.) 

Write the following sentence: There are also the district courts of 
appeal. Tell how many of these there are. What is the highest court in 
the state? These courts are concerned chiefly with cases appealed from 
what courts? (Page 213, last two paragraphs. Page 214, first paragraph.) 

In most states, at the present time, how are the judges of the courts 
chosen? What is the objection to having the judges chosen in this way? 
Tell, if you can, why this is a bad thing. (Page 214, The appointment of 
judges.) 

Who is the chief executive officer of the state ? What is his chief duty ? 
When the authorities of the counties and cities cannot enforce the law, 
what can the governor do with the militia? What office does the governor 
hold in the militia? (Page 214, The executive.) 

Write this sentence: The governor has several other powers and duties. 
Tell what he can do to bills, in order to prevent them from becoming law. 
Speak of his message to the legislature and its purpose. What can he 
do for convicted criminals? Say something about his power of appoint¬ 
ment. (Page 215, The powers of the governor.) 

Tell what the duties of the lieutenant governor are. (Page 215, 
Lieutenant governor.) 

Tell whether there is a state treasurer. Tell whether or not there is 
also a state superintendent of schools. What affairs of the state does the 
comptroller manage ? What are the duties of the attorney general ? (Page 
215, The heads of departments.) 

Write a paragraph containing three or four sentences, in which you 
use the following phrases: state hoard of health, hoard of charities and 
correction, fish and game commission, conservation commission, railroad 
commission, librarian. How do these officers usually get their positions? 
Tell whether, many other officials and employees are to be found in the 
state government. (Page 216, Other administrative divisions.) 

28. THE INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM, AND RECALL. 

Why are the initiative, referendum, and recall of particular interest to 
the people of California. Tell what had to be done with the Constitution 
of the state, in order that these reforms might become law. When such a 
thing is done, what have the people to do with it? (Supplement IX.) 

When we have the initiative, who has the power to propose and make 
laws? Before the initiative was adopted, this power rested solely with 
what body of men? If the people wanted a certain law passed how did 
they try to get it into the laws of the state? (Supplement IX.) 

Write the following sentences: The plan is a simple one. Let us say 
that some of the people in the community desire that a certain state law 

( 25 ) 


be passed. Then tell how the initiative is used, following these suggestions: 
petition — percent of voters — election — majority. (Supplement IX.) 

Tell whether the initiative takes from the legislature its lawmaking 
powers. Give some reasons why it would he foolish to give the people 
the right to vote on all the laws that come up. What do opponents to 
the initiative say? (Supplement IX.) 

Say something about the work the legislature will still have to *do. Tell 
whether there is any danger that the legislature might pass a law which 
the people do not want. Now tell what right the referendum gives the 
people. Tell whether the people will always use this right. Thej^ will 
only use it when? (Supplement IX.) 

Now write this sentence: / will describe how the referendum works. 
Then begin a sentence with the following phrase: Suppose a law has been 

passed by the legislature -Finish the sentence, and write other 

sentences telling how the referendum works; speak of the petition and 
the election. Compare the referendum with the governor’s veto. (Sup¬ 
plement IX.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: The recall should 
also be described. The recall gives the people the power to do what? 
Suppose a public official is not doing his duty the way some of the people 
think he should, and they want to recall him: what do they do first? 
What election is then held? (Supplement IX.) 

Besides the state government, what other branches of government have 
the rights of initiative, referendum, and recall in California? What can 
you say about these reforms under the commission plan of city govern¬ 
ment? (Supplement IX.) 

29. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NATION. 

About when were the colonies united under the Articles of Confederation ? 
Name two or three reasons why these articles were not satisfactory. 
Therefore a meeting was called for the purpose of doing what? What 
body of laws was finally drawn up? (Page 218, The weakness of the 
government under the Articles of Confederation; The constitutional con¬ 
vention.) 

Write a sentence containing the following phrases, and telling to what 
branch of the government the power to do these things belongs: to make 
war and peace, to make treaties and alliances, to send and receive ambas¬ 
sadors, to regulate foreign and interstate commerce, to coin money, and 
some other powers. Tell what branches of the government have the 
powers of taxation and borrowing money. Tell whether any powers were 
denied to the federal government. Tell whether any powers were denied 
to the states. Powers not granted to the national government, nor 
prohibited to the states, are reserved to whom or what? All these rules 
of government are written in what great body of laws? (Page 219, Dis¬ 
tribution of powers.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: The Constitution 
provides for a senate and a house of representatives. Tell how many 

( 26 ) 



senators are elected from each state. How is it determined how many 
members of the House of Representatives each state shall have ? Tell what 
a congressional district is. The members of the Senate are elected how? 
(Page 220, Representation in Congress; The Senate and the House of 
Representatives.) 

What has the Senate to do with appointments made by the President? 
What must it do with all treaties made by the President? All bills for 
raising revenue must originate where? Where may all other bills 
originate? But how about the passing of these bills? Tell which branch 
of Congress has the power of impeachment, and tell what impeachment 
means.* Which branch must act as a court to try impeachment? If you 
can, tell what President was once impeached. Was he convicted? (Page 
221, Powers of the Senate and the House.) 

For a long time people have demanded that senators be elected how? 
Tell why this demand has arisen, using the following phrases: growth of 
the democratic spirit —- managed by bosses. What has been the fate of 
several amendments proposed for the purpose of having direct election 
of United States senators? How does the matter stand to-day? (Page 
221, Method of electing senators. Supplement V.) 

Say something about the division of Congress into committees. What 
is first done with every bill that is proposed in either house of Congress? 
How may it happen that nothing more is ever heard of a bill? If a bill 
is approved of in committee, what then? (Page 222, Committees and 
the speaker.) 

What do we mean by the speaker of the House, and how is he chosen? 
(Do not say anything about the power of the speaker over committees. 
The method described in the text has been changed.) (Page 222, Com¬ 
mittees and the speaker.) 

What is the name of the officer who holds the chief executive power in 
the government? For how many years is he elected? How may he be 
removed from office before his term expires? What officer would take 
the place of the President if the President should die? Over what branch 
of the government does the Vice President preside? (Pages 222 and 223, 
The executive.) 

How are the members of the Cabinet appointed? Write a sentence 
about the Cabinet, and in this sentence use the following titles of officers: 
the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of war, 
the secretary of the navy, the postmaster general, the secretary of the 
interior, the attorney general. the secretary of agriculture, the secretary 
of commerce and labor. (Supplement X.) 

What has each cabinet member to do with one of the executive depart¬ 
ments? What can the President do, if the work of one of the members is 
not satisfactory? Say something about the importance of a cabinet posi¬ 
tion. (Supplement X.) 

Write this sentence: The members of the Cabinet often meet with the 
President at what is called a cabinet meeting. Then tell what a cabinet 

*To impeach an official is to charge him with doing wrong in office. 

( 27 ) 



meeting is held for, and name some of the subjects that are frequently 
discussed. (Supplement X.) 

Say something about the President’s veto power, and tell how a law 
can be passed over the President’s veto. Tell how an extra session of 
Congress may be called. Speak of the President’s message to Congress, 
and tell what its purpose is. (Page 224, The power of the President.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: The President fills by 
appointment thousands of positions all over the country. Prom whom must 
the President seek information about many of the persons he intends to 
appoint ? Tell whether the senators and representatives often have friends 
whom they want appointed. If the President refuses to appoint these 
friends of the congressmen, how will the congressmen often force him to 
do so? What effect has this had on the spoils system? Tell whether the 
merit system has brought any improvement, and tell how more improve¬ 
ment could be brought about. (Page 224, Encroachment on the President’s 
appointing power by Congress.) 

Write a sentence or two naming the national courts, beginning with 
the highest. ( Do not name the circuit courts, as they have been abolished 
by Congress.) How many judges are there in the Supreme Court? The 
Chief Justice presides over what court? How do the federal judges get 
their positions? (Page 225, The judiciary.) 

Which courts, national or state, have powers over cases of a national 
or interstate character? If a state court decides a case involving the 
Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States, to what court may the 
case be appealed? What power has the Supreme Court over laws passed 
by Congress or by the states? The Supreme Court only exercises this 
power when it believes a law to be contrary to what? (Page 225, Powers 
of the federal courts.) 


30. THE EXPENSES OF GOVERNMENT. 

Begin this composition with the following sentence: All this machinery 
of city, state, and national government means a tremendous expenditure 
of money. Continue the paragraph by telling of some of the many things 
for which government must pay large sums. How does the total cost of 
local governments compare with the cost of state and national together? 
Make some statement about the total cost of all governments in the United 
States. The people of the local community must raise the money to pay 
for what? The people of the state must unite in paying for what? The 
people of the whole nation contribute to the expenses of what ? This is 
done chiefly by paying what? (Page 228, first paragraph; also, The cost 
of government. Page 229, first paragraph.) 

Why have people never enjoyed paying taxes? Very light taxes imposed 
on the American colonists by the English government brought about what 
trouble ? Tell why the people should not consider taxation by our govern¬ 
ment an act of oppression. Explain the good of taxation, showing how 
the people benefit by it. (Page 229, Taxation is not oppression.) 


( 28 ) 


I 


Why did the American colonies object to taxation ? Tell whether it was 
self-taxation the colonies Avanted. Tell wdiether the central government 
had the right of taxation after the Revolution. What parts of the govern¬ 
ment did have it? Why was the plan a poor one? It became apparent 
that what part of the government must have the power to tax for certain 
purposes? This was the chief reason for drawing up what new body of 
laws? Tell what lawmaking body was given the power ‘‘to lay and 
collect taxes to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and 
general welfare of the United States.” But it was provided that all bills 
for raising revenue should originate where? Why was this provision 
made? (Page 230, The right of self-taxation and the federal govern¬ 
ment. ) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence, taken from the text: 
Taxation may be direct or indirect. Tell whether a tax on land, or on 
household goods, is a direct or an indirect tax. It is this kind of a tax 
because the person against whom the government assesses the tax does 
what? Now write this sentence: An importer pays a tax on the goods 
which he imports. Tell whether this is a direct or an indirect tax. It is 
this kind of a tax because the importer adds what to the price which he 
charges for the goods? Who really pays the tax? Show how a tax on 
houses or land may be made an indirect tax. (Page 231, Direct and indirect 
taxation.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: Taxable property is 
of two hinds, real estate and personal property. Then tell what real 
estate is, and what personal property is. What two branches of the 
government usually levy and collect taxes on these kinds of property. 
A man is taxed in proportion to what? (Page 231, Direct taxation by 
state and local governments.) 

Write this sentence: In order to determine how much tax a citizen must 
pay, the government must first know how much money it will need for 
the coming year. Who determines for each department how much money 
that department will need? Tell Avhether the government, like a business 
* man, tries to make a profit out of taxes. If not, what does the government 
try to do? What must be determined about the property in each com¬ 
munity, before the tax is levied? Tell what assessing is, and what officials 
do it. After the amount of money to be expended is known, and the 
value of all property in the community is known, then what is the next 
step? Tell how the rate of taxation is figured. Tell what other tax, if 
any, besides the city tax, a city property owner must pay.* How does 
the state of California get its revenues? (Page 232, The preliminary 
estimate of expenses; The assessment. Page 233, The rate of taxation. 
Footnote on this page.) 

Tell whether property is always taxed with strict equality and justice. 

* The text says that a city property holder must pay a city and a state tax. 
This is not strictly true in California. In California a city property holder must pay 
a city and a county tax. At present the state of California gets its revenue by taxing 
the earnings of certain corporations, banks, and insurance companies. 


( 29 ) 



I 


Then explain the purpose of the board of equalization. (Page 233, 
Equalization.) 

How do citizens often avoid paying taxes? What do many people think 
about “getting ahead of the government” in the matter of taxation? 
When people avoid paying taxes, what burden do they cast upon their 
fellow citizens? What can you say about the character of a man who 
will avoid paying his taxes? (Page 234, Evasion of taxes an injury to 
the community.) 

Begin this paragraph with the following sentence: There are other 
.forms of taxes besides the general property tax. There is the poll tax: tell 
what it is. Tell what an income tax is. What is an inheritance tax? 
What is a franchise tax? In what other ways, besides through taxation, 
do state and local governments get revenues? Saloon keepers, peddlers, 
and pawnbrokers are charged a license fee for another reason than merely 
to get revenue: tell what this other reason is. When sewers are laid 
or roads built, certain property owners are especially benefited: tell what 
these property owners must often do about the cost of these improvements. 
(Page 234, Special forms of taxation. Page 235, Licenses and fees.) 

Tell what is meant by exemption from taxation. Tell what kinds of 
property are exempt. Tell whether property used for profit is exempt. 
Property that is exempt is used for what purpose? (Page 235, Exemp¬ 
tions. ) 

Does the national government derive most of its revenues from direct, 
or indirect, taxation? Write this sentence: The larger part of the revenues 
of the national government are obtained by means of import duties and 
excise taxes. Import duties are taxes levied on what? The customs 
houses are places where what is done? This tax is first paid by the 
importer, but how are the people finally made to pay it? What is the 
excise tax? Name the kinds of goods on which it is chiefly levied. AYrite 
a sentence saying that we usually call the excise tax the internal revenue. 
The country is divided into internal revenue districts for what purpose? 
What are the duties of the internal revenue collectors and their assistants? 
(Page 231, Direct and indirect taxation. Page 235, Indirect taxation by 
the national government. Page 236, Imports and excises. Page 237, Col¬ 
lection of duties.) 

Tell whether the national government tries to make the revenues and 
expenditures equal each other. What does the national government try 
to do when a large surplus accumulates in the treasury? Suppose the 
revenues do not meet the expenditures, and there is a large deficit; then 
how may Congress be obliged to raise money? Tell whether this is the 
same method which is used in time of war, when the expenses run very 
high. Write a sentence saying that the government borrows money by 
selling government bonds, which are promissory notes paying interest. 
Write the following sentence: When money is borroiced to carry on a rear, 
or to build the Panama canal, a large part of the debt must be paid bach 
by future generations. Tell whether this is just or not, and why. (Page 
237, Borrowing money.) 


( 30 ) 


SUPPLEMENT. 


I. CONSERVATION. 

(Supplemental to Chapter VIII.) 

Within the next hundred and fifty years the people of these United 
States will probably use up all the coal and iron ore to be found within 
our borders. It is very possible, too, that we shall have no forests at that 
time. The supply of these natural resources is going rapidly. Ever 
since our country began, we have been recklessly wasting these things. 
For every ton of coal that has been taken from the mines, a half a ton 
has been lost within the mines, and lost forever. In the mining of iron, 
the same careless waste has been going on. We have, in the same way, prac¬ 
tically thrown away a large part of the supply of natural gas and oil that 
has been found beneath the earth. The wasteful use of the forests has 
been so bad that it is a shame to tell about it. 

Some of our public-spirited citizens' have awakened to this startling 
state of affairs. They have started a movement for the conservation of 
our natural resources. They have started a fight for the careful use of 
these resources, so that all that we do not actually need shall be saved for 
those who come after us. Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot are 
the two best-known leaders in this great movement.' 

Government experts have examined our coal supply, and have reported 
that we have coal enough left in the mines to last but a hundred and fifty 
years, at the most. These experts also reported that the supply of natural 
gas would probably become exhausted in twenty-five years, and the supply 
of petroleum at about the same time. 

What will become of the great factories of the country, when there is 
no more fuel to be had? What shall we do in the household for cooking 
and heating? The only power we shall be able to get to run the factories 
and the railways, and to supply the household, will be electricity. It will 
still be possible to build great electric power houses at certain places on 
the rivers, and from these power houses to send out electricity in all 
directions. The question is, who shall own the water power? 

At present, people and corporations can own water power, just as they 
own houses and lots. There are only certain places on a river where 
power houses can be run. There are only a few places in any state where 
a river can be used to run the kind of machinery that makes electricity. 
Men and companies and corporations have been getting these places and 
owning them. Now, supposing a few hundred, or a few thousand men, 
should own all the places in the United States where power houses can be 
built. And supposing there were no more coal or other fuel. Then every 
factory in the land would have to buy electricity from the few men who 
own the water power. Every home in the land would have to buy electricity 


3—17 


( 31 ) 



for heating and cooking from these same men. Many people say that it 
would be wrong for a few men to own all the water power in this way. 
It is feared that the owners would be able to charge just as high a price 
as they pleased. As a result, many people demand that the state shall 
own the sites where water power is to be had. 

The people who are fighting for conservation demand that laws be passed 
preventing reckless waste. Conservation means preservation. We must 
preserve our natural resources. Let us use what we need, but beyond that 
let there be no waste. The national government has the power to pass and 
enforce conservation laws that will apply to government lands. Where 
such laws do not apply to government lands, they must be passed by the 
states. 

California has passed a law which is intended to prevent a few interested 
people from getting the ownership of all the water power. This law says 
that no person or company can get permission to use any stream for water 
power for more than forty-five years. At the end of forty-five years, the 
state can take back the privilege if it wants to. 

California has also passed another important law relating to conserva¬ 
tion. This law makes it a crime for any person owning a gas well to 
allow the gas to escape freely into the air. When the wells are not in use, 
they must be closed up with a cap that will keep the gas within the earth. 
Any one breaking this law is subject to severe fine and imprisonment. 

The government experts who investigated our supply of natural resources 
stated that, if we go on at the present rate, we shall use up all the iron 
ore that is in the ground before many years have passed. By 1940 we 
shall have to begin to use poorer kinds of metals to take the place of iron 
and steel. 

But it is when we come to the forests that we find the most startling 
situation of all. The story of the forests is'too long to tell. But briefly, 
the facts are these. At one time, one third of all the land in our country 
was covered with forests. In the pioneer days we began to cut them down. 
Later, great lumber companies were formed. These companies got the 
forest land for almost nothing. They hewed down millions of acres, and 
are still at it. What they do not want, they destroy by their rough and 
reckless methods of lumbering. Not a sapling is left standing—nothing 
but stumps. Where the lumberman with his ax has not done the work, 
forest fires have wrought their devastation. Gifford Pincliot declares that 
to-day we have barely enough forests left standing to last for thirty years, 
if we continue at the present rate. 

Of course we must use as much of the forests as is necessary for our 
purposes. But we must not be wasteful. The whole idea of conservation 
is to use the natural resources without wasting them. The national gov¬ 
ernment has decided not to open up all the forests of the country to the 
“lumber kings,” as the rich lumbermen are called. And so, in many of 
the states we find great forest reserves or national forests. The ownership 
of these forests remains with the government,—that is, with the people. 
The lumbermen cannot own any part of them. But that does not mean 


( 32 ) 


that the national forests are to remain idle, and the trees unused. The 
lumber is there to be used, and can be bought by the small dealer and the 
rich dealer alike, on exactly the same terms. The difference is that the 
lumber kings cannot get the ownership of the national forests. They 
cannot build their mills, hew down and destroy the trees, and leave the 
hillsides a stump-covered, barren area forever. 

The national forests are patrolled by thousands of men called forest 
rangers. These men live in the forest, traveling about their allotted dis¬ 
tricts on horseback. Their duty is to see that the laws relating to the 
forests are observed, and to protect the forests from the destructive fires 
which every year sweep off thousands of acres of timber. 

Experiment has shown that the forests can be cut with such care that 
they will not be destroyed. All the saplings, for instance, can be left 
standing. No tree need be cut just to get it out of the way. New trees 
can be planted to take the place of those that are cut down. It is just such 
care as this that the national government insists upon in the forest 
reserves. The states themselves, in many cases, have their own forest 
reserves, and many of these states are making an effort to apply the same 
sensible rules. It is certain that if we adopt such a plan for the whole 
country, and enforce it by law, we shall put off into the far future the 
evil day when the forests shall be gone. 

In California the problem of the conservation of the forests is very 
important, but we have not yet done a great deal to promote it. A few 
of the forests are the property of the state, and are not open to the lumber¬ 
men. We have tried some experiments in planting new trees, to take the 
place of the destroyed ones. A large part of our forests are protected by 
being included in the national reserves. We have a state conservation 
commission, composed of five men appointed by the governor. This commis¬ 
sion is doing much good work, and we may safely expect it to accomplish 
a great deal for the conservation of natural resources in California. 

II. SOME CALIFORNIA LAWS. 

(Supplemental to Chapter XII.) 

According to the laws of California, no child under the age of eighteen 
can be employed to work between the hours of ten at night and five in 
the morning. This law has been passed to prevent factories from doing 
what many factories in the East have been doing, — that is, working 
children through the hours of the night. It is also intended to protect 
messenger boys from the many evil influences that thrive when most good 
people are abed. Continual night work is trying even on the health of 
strong adults. In the case of children it is sure to interfere with the 
growth of both mind and body. Where parents are too poor, or too ignorant 
or careless to forbid their children to do this kind of work, the state feels 
that it has the right to interfere. The state is largely responsible for the 
health, morals, and intelligence of its citizens, and the children are its 
coming citizens. We must have good citizens to have a good state. 


( 33 ) 


Most states have child labor laws of one sort or another. Besides those 
noted in the paragraph above, California has passed a law which makes it 
illegal for any child under sixteen years of age to work for wages unless 
permitted to do so by the judge of a court or by the superintendent of 
schools. Children over twelve can get permission to work during vacations. 
The question of child labor is one of the most important of all the 
questions before the American people. The employment of little children 
in many of the great factories of the East and South is declared by large 
numbers of our people to be a disgrace to the nation. It is pointed out 
that these factory children become stunted in growth and old before 
their time. They grow up, most of them, with small intelligence and 
miserable health. The states that permit this sort of thing are held to be 
alone responsible. By passing the sixteen year age limit, California has 
taken an advanced position in this matter. 

California has also passed a law which limits the number of hours that 
women can work in a day. As the law' now reads, no employer can work 
his women employees for more than eight hours in the twenty-four. Any 
employer who disobeys this law is guilty of a crime, and can be punished. 
This law is intended to protect the health of the women of the state. 

III. THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION. 

(Supplemental to Chapter XIV.) 

The Constitution gives Congress power to regulate interstate commerce. 
By interstate commerce we mean commerce between the states. A railroad 
that carries on all its business within the borders of a single state cannot 
be regulated by Congress, but only by the state. On the other hand, a 
railroad like the Southern Pacific, which carries passengers and freight 
from one state to another, can be regulated by Congress, because it does 
an interstate business. 

In 1887 the Interstate Commerce Commission was created by Congress, to 
take charge of the business of regulating interstate commerce. Since 1887 
several laws have been passed greatly increasing the powers of the com¬ 
mission. At present the commission is composed of seven men appointed 
by the President, each receiving a salary of $10,000 a year. This body of 
men is one of the most important in all the branches of our government. 

The duties of the commission can best be explained by speaking of 
certain evils that have existed in the conduct of the railroads of the country. 
First of all these evils is the system of giving what are called rebates. To 
understand this system, imagine a big oil company and many -little ones, 
all owning oil wells in a certain state. Let us say there are two different 
railroads, each one anxious to get the work of carrying the oil from these 
wells to the oil refineries. The railroads advertise that they will carry the 
oil to a certain point for fifty dollars a carload. But one of the railroads 
makes a secret agreement with the big oil company. It wants to get the 
work of carrying all the oil fcr this company, because there is so much 
of it. So the railroad agrees to give back to the oil company half the 


( 34 ) 


advertised price on every carload that the oil company ships. This is 
called a relate. In the case mentioned above, there would be a rebate of 
twenty-five dollars on each carload. 

All the little oil companies round about, however, have to pay the old 
price of fifty dollars. This means that the big company, when it gets its 
oil to the East, can sell its oil fur twenty-five dollars per carload less than 
the little companies. In this way the big company can force the little 
companies to close down or sell out. This scheme of giving secret rebates 
to big companies of various kinds has been practised very extensively by 
railroads in the United States. It is unfair because it gives the favored 
big company a great advantage over the little company, often forcing the 
latter out of business. This evil of rebates was one of the causes that led 
to the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission. National laws 
were also passed against the evil. The commission has done a great deal 
to force the railroads to live up to the law, but even to-day there is little 
doubt that considerable secret rebating is practised. 

Imagine, again, two 'railroads each anxious to get the work of carrying 
flour from the flour mills to the East. The owners of these two roads get 
together and talk matters over. They decide that they are losing money 
by working against each other, so they form a secret agreement or com¬ 
bination. They decide that each will charge the same price for hauling 
the flour, and that they will set this price just as high as they can. They 
agree to divide up the business and the profits. Of course, when the rail¬ 
roads agree among themselves to charge an unreasonably high price, the 
flour mills have to raise the price of their flour. That means that the 
people who use the flour are the real sufferers because they have to pay 
more for it. Combinations of the kind described have been very common, 
and have been one of the causes for the creation of the Interstate Com¬ 
merce Commission, whose duty it is to investigate such cases. The anti¬ 
trust law has made these combinations illegal. 

Whenever tw T o or more railroads serve the same district, we can expect 
these railroads to fight for the trade. Each will try to charge a lower 
rate than the others, and at the same time make a profit. This fighting 
for the trade is called competition. Whether it be railroads or other 
kinds of business, competition among them means low prices. Competition 
among companies is never very profitable for them, so we nearly always 
find them combining in one way or another. A good illustration is given 
in the paragraph above. Perhaps the most frequent method of combining 
is for one of the companies to buy out all the others. Then there is only 
one company, and if it is extremely large it is called a trust. It is said 
to have a monopoly of the business. When there is only one company 
serving a district, this company will charge as high a price as possible. 
If allowed to do so, it will charge a price out of all proportion to what it 
reasonably ought to charge. Here, too, we have a reason for the creation 
of the Interstate Commerce Commission. It is the duty of the commission 
to investigate prices, to discover if unjust rates are charged. 

In the matter of regulating prices, the commission has very large powers. 


( 35 ) 


Every railroad doing an interstate business is obliged by law to notify the. 
commission thirty days before it makes any raise in passenger or freight 
rates. The commission will then investigate, and will either give or deny 
the railroad the right to put the higher rates in force. The commission also 
has the power to fix railroad rates, of its own accord, and make these rates 
binding on the railroad companies. This is a very important power. 

The powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission extend not only to 
the railroads, but to express companies, sleeping-car companies, and com¬ 
panies operating pipe lines used for transporting oil from one state to 
another. 


IV. CALIFORNIA’S COMPULSORY EDUCATION LAW. 

(Supplemental to Chapter XV.) 

The state of California, more than most of the states of the Union, feels 
its responsibility in the matter of rearing good citizens. It is not necessary 
to repeat that a liberal education is necessary to good citizenship. A 
liberal education means the ability to earn one’s living. It means vastly 
more, too. It means the ability to vote with intelligence. It means the 
welfare of the state and the entire nation. Ignorant citizens are a burden 
to the community, and they are dangerous to our form of government. 
These facts have led most of the states to pass compulsory education laws. 
These laws compel parents and guardians to give their children a fair 
education. The California law says that every child must attend school 
until the age of sixteen. Children under sixteen can leave school if they 
have graduated from the grammar grades. Children between fifteen and 
sixteen can leave school if they get permission from the superintendent of 
schools. 


V. DIRECT ELECTION OF UNITED STATES SENATORS. 

(Supplemental to Chapter XIX.) 

For several years there has been a strong demand throughout the United 
States for the direct election of United States senators. By direct election 
is meant election by direct vote of the people. As is stated by the text, 
United States senators are at present chosen by the state legislatures. In 
California the people have the right to express their choice for senator, at 
an election, and the legislature is expected to elect the one whom the 
people choose. But this is a very unsatisfactory way. It is probable that 
most of the states would elect their senators by direct vote to-day, if the 
Constitution of the United States permitted. The Constitution states that 
the senators must be elected by the legislatures of the states, and so it 
will have to be until the Constitution is amended. 

An amendment to the Constitution providing for direct election of 
senators has already been proposed, and will probably be adopted before 
very long. Indeed, by the time you read this the amendment may already 
have been adopted. Ask your teacher. 


( 36 ) 


VI. THE DIRECT PRIMARY. 

(Supplemental to Chapter XIX.) 

The intelligent citizen must have a clear idea of the main facts of the 
direct primary law. First of all, it should be remembered that candidates 
for positions in the state government were formerly nominated at party 
conventions. Many objections have been raised against the method of 
having candidates nominated at these conventions. It has been claimed 
that the conventions have been easily managed by the political bosses. Men 
have been chosen for candidates, it is said, who have been pledged to obey 
the bosses, and not the people. When the bosses are the tools of corpor¬ 
ations and other large interests, it is easy to see how the people themselves 
are the losers. Corporations often want laws passed which are not for 
the best interests of the whole people. The claim is made that the bosses 
control the conventions, and see that men are nominated who will serve 
the corporations if elected. 

It has been said that it is not democratic to have our candidates nomi¬ 
nated at conventions. In a true democracy the people themselves are the 
rulers. If the conventions always honestly represented the interests of 
the people, no fault could be found with them. But it has not worked out 
that way. There is no doubt that the conventions have too often repre¬ 
sented the wishes of the bosses and certain corporations. Such is not 
democracy. It is not rule by the people. These arguments have led to 
the demand for a change. The change has come about with the establish¬ 
ment of the direct primary law. 

Under the direct primary law the members of a party, themselves, 
choose their candidates, by having an election. Our state primary election 
comes in September. At this election the Democrats choose their candi¬ 
dates for governor, lieutenant governor, assemblymen, and other positions. 
The Republicans do the same thing. Later comes the general election, 
at which the voters of the state choose between the various candidates. 

Let us explain just how the plan works. 

In the first place, suppose that there are five prominent Republicans in 
the state, all of whom want to be governor. These men get out a petition, 
which must be signed by a certain number of voters. When the petition 
of one of these Republicans has been duly signed and registered, the man 
becomes a candidate, not for governor, but for the Republican nomination, 
for governor. Now when all five of the Republicans who want to be gov¬ 
ernor have done this same thing, they become the men from among whom 
the Republicans are to choose their candidates. 

At the same time there will probably be four or five Democrats who want 
to be governor. So each of them will get out a petition, and have it 
signed and registered. Then they will be the men from among whom 
the Democrats will choose their candidate. 

Next comes the primary election. At this election the Republicans vote 
to choose their candidate and the Democrats vote to choose their candidate. 
In this way the people who belong to the political parties do what the 
old party conventions used to do, — they select their own candidates. 

( 37 ) 


All is now ready for the general election, which comes a few weeks later. 
At this election the people vote to choose one of the candidates to be 
governor. There may be a Republican, a Democrat, a Socialist, and one 
or two other candidates. At this general election the people choose one 
of them. 

It has been shown how the governor is nominated at direct primaries. 
But it must not be supposed that only the governor is nominated in this 
way. Every elective state and county officer in California is nominated 
in the same manner. Most of the cities also nominate their officers by the 
same or a similar method. The candidates for President and Vice President 
are still nominated at national conventions of their party. 

We hear a great deal about the presidential preference primary. This 
primary gives the members of a political party the right to express their 
choice or preference for President, but not the right to nominate him. This 
right, as was stated above, belongs to th'e national conventions of the 
parties. The men who go to these national conventions are usually chosen 
at smaller conventions held in the states. But in California and a number 
of other states a plan has recently been adopted which gives the voters 
of a party the right to vote for the men who will represent them at the 
national convention. In California the voters of a party not only have 
this right, but they also have the right to vote for the man whom they 
wish to be chosen as the candidate of their party for President. Briefly 
stated, the presidential preference primary in California is just this: The 
voters of a party have the right to choose their own delegates to the 
national convention of the party. The voters of a party also have the 
right to vote for the man whom they wish to have chosen as their candidate 
for President. The delegates that are elected to go to the national party 
convention are in honor bound to support the man whom the party voters 
of their state choose as their favorite candidate for President. 

In California and certain other states the presidential preference primary 
applies to the Democrats, Republicans, and sometimes to other important 
political parties. *By it, the people who belong to the political parties 
have a great deal to say in the affairs of their party. Of course the final 
choice of President comes later on, at the general presidential election. At 
this election the people choose between the candidates of the various political 
parties. 

VII. TOWNSHIP AND COUNTY* 

(To be substituted for Chapter XXI.) 

Township and county government differs greatly in different parts of 
the United States. In the New England states the township is the most 
important subdivision of the state; in the southern states the county is the 
most important subdivision. In other parts of the country we find a 
confusing mixture of the two. In California the arrangement is simple. 
Our state is divided into fifty-eight counties, and the counties are divided 

* Chapter XXI of the text has no special application to California. It would be 
well, therefore, to omit all consideration of the chapter in developing the topic, and 
to base the lesson entirely upon this part of the supplement. 

( 38 ) 



into townships. This division into counties and townships is an arrange¬ 
ment which makes it possible for the people of a community to elect certain 
local officers. 

In the townships the people elect constables and justices of the peace. 
The constables constitute the police of the township, and are really assistants 
to the county sheriff. The justices of the peace try people accused of the 
smaller kinds of crime and cases concerning arguments over small amounts 
of property. These courts are called justices’ courts. 

In California the county is the most important subdivision of the state. 
In each county the following officers are elected by the people: district 
attorney, sheriff, county clerk, auditor, treasurer, recorder, tax collector, 
assessor, superintendent of schools, public administrator, coroner, surveyor, 
and members of the board of supervisors. In some counties where the 
population is not great the people have joined two or more of these offices 
into one. This is in order to keep down the expenses of government. 

We cannot expect anyone to name off these county officers from memory. 
They are all important officers, however, and we cannot open a newspaper 
without finding mention of one or more of them. You might be asked to 
name from memory all the elective political offices in the county, and you 
might forget to name the offices of recorder, coroner, and surveyor, or 
some others. There would be no harm in that. But if you were to hear 
some one speak of the office of recorder, for instance, and you did not 
know that he was speaking of one of the political offices of the county, you 
could not be called an intelligent citizen. We are not trying to teach you 
civics in order that you may be able to name all the political offices from 
memory. We want you to know what these various offices are when you 
read or hear about them. 

Sheriff .—'The sheriff has charge of the county jail, and is responsible 
for all prisoners confined there. If any of the prisoners in the jail make 
their escape, it is the sheriff who must take charge of the pursuit. The 
sheriff is the police officer of the county, and it is his duty to arrest all 
persons in his county accused of breaking any of the laws of the state. 
In the pursuit of the more desperate criminals it is often necessary for 
the sheriff to organize a body of men to assist him. These assistants are 
called deputy sheriffs. 

District Attorney .—When a man is captured by the sheriff, and accused 
of robbing a bank, or committing a murder or some other crime, he must 
be tried in the superior court. The accused gets a lawyer to defend him 
in the trial. The county must have a lawyer to prosecute him. It is the 
duty of the district attorney to do this work for the county. The district 
attorney also attends to certain other kinds of law business for the county. 
It may be said that the district attorney is the lawyer for the county. 

Auditor .—The auditor is the chief bookkeeper of the county. He is 
supposed to go over all the accounts of the money expended, to see that 
the accounts are correctly kept, and to see that no one is cheating or 
defrauding the county. It is a very important office, and requires an 
expert and honest official. 


( 39 ) 


County Clerk. —It is the duty of the county clerk to keep a large number 
of the books, papers, and records of the county in his office. It is his 
duty to keep a list of all the registered voters in the county. He has 
certain duties connected with the superior court. Besides these duties, 
he has a great many others too numerous to mention here. 

Treasurer. —As the name indicates, the treasurer is the man who has 
charge of the funds of the county. He is the man who pays the bills, 
after they have been declared correct by the auditor. All moneys paid 
out by the county go through the hands of the treasurer. 

Recorder .—The recorder keeps a record of the ownership of the land 
in the county. Whenever a man buys a piece of property he gets a deed 
to that property. The deed tells just exactly where the property is, and 
names the owner. This deed must be filed in the recorder’s office. The 
recorder also keeps a record of mortgages. 

Assessor .—People are supposed to pay taxes according to the value of 
their property. If a man owns $100,000 worth of land, he is expected to 
pay twice the amount of taxes that a man pays who owns $50,000 worth. 
The duty of the assessor is to figure out the value of the property, in order 
that taxes may be levied upon it. 

Tax Collector .—The tax collector is the official who collects the taxes 
after the assessor figures the amount each property holder must pay. 

Ptiblic Administrator. —People owning property often die without making 
definite arrangements about the division of their property among their 
heirs. Sometimes the heirs are unknown, or there are none. It is the 
duty of the public administrator to take charge of the property, in such 
cases, until a settlement is made in the courts or in some other way. 

Superintendent of Schools. —The superintendent of schools carries out 
the state school laws in his county. He is largely responsible for the 
welfare and success of the schools under him. His advice is largely 
followed by the boards of school trustees in his county, and in that way 
he becomes very important in the building of new schools, the appointment 
of teachers, and many other matters. 

Coroner .—It is the duty of the coroner to investigate all cases of 
mysterious or unusual death. If anyone is killed by accident or otherwise, 
or dies of an unknown cause, it is the duty of the coroner to look into the 
matter and decide whether a crime has been committed. In making his 
investigation the coroner usually summons a coroner’s jury, and holds an 
inquest. 

Surveyor .—The surveyor lays out new roads, surveys for ditches, canals, 
and bridges, runs survey lines on public property, and has charge of 
drawing maps and charts for the county. 

Board of Supervisors. —The board of supervisors makes the laws for the 
county. If a new courthouse or county jail is to be built, the board of 
supervisors determines upon it and appropriates the money. If it is 
thought necessary to protect the wild game within the borders of a count}', 
fhe supervisors can pass game laws. The supervisors pass laws regulating 
the construction and use of the county roads. They grant franchises for 


( 40 ) 


the use of the county highways. They have many other duties similar to 
those mentioned. In San Francisco the supervisors pass laws for the city, 
because San Francisco city and county are one and the same thing. 

VIII. THE COMMISSION FORM OF CITY GOVERNMENT. 

(Supplemental to Chapter XXII.) 

It has been declared by many students of the subject that American 
city government has been a failure. This unhopeful statement has been 
prompted by a study of the conditions that have been found to prevail 
in many of our cities. During the last ten or fifteen years there has been 
scandal after scandal discovered in the government of American munici¬ 
palities. There has been bribing of councilmen and other officials. Con¬ 
tracts for public work have been let to the contractor paying the biggest 
graft money. The public funds have been wasted. Outrageous prices 
have been charged for cheap public work. Inefficient, incapable, and dis¬ 
honest public servants have been elected. All forms of vice have been 
permitted to thrive. All these evils, and others too numerous to mention, 
have been discovered in many of our cities, great and small. The problem 
of reform has been uppermost in the minds of good citizens. Many have 
given up hope in municipal government and have declared it a failure. 

But the majority of Americans have faith in their own institutions-. 
The reason why we find so much corruption is because we have just begun 
to unearth it. We are going to drive it all out. Every city government 
has not been corrupt. Not by any means. It is not necessary that any 
should be. 

Because of the graft, inefficiency, waste of public funds, and the other 
evils, a movement has begun for a new kind of city government, — the 
commission form of government. Many California cities have adopted this 
new plan. The commission plan is expected to do away with the evils 
of the older form of city government. 

Under this commission form of government we elect a board of commis¬ 
sioners, usually composed of five men. This board of commissioners takes 
the place of the old city council. It is the legislative branch of the city 
government, and passes general laws for the community, such as laws for 
the public health and safety. It grants franchises, levies taxes, and 
appropriates money for public purposes. 

After the commission has been elected it gets together and chooses a 
chairman, who is sometimes called the mayor.* It also divides up the 
executive work of the city. This division of work is usually according 
to the following plan: One member is made the commissioner of public 
works; one is made commissioner of streets; one is made commissioner of 
public health and safety; one is made commissioner of education; one is 
made commissioner of finance.! It is thus seen that the commissioners 

* In Oakland and Berkeley the commission form of government has been adopted, 
but an officer known as the mayor is still elected by the people. This slight modifi¬ 
cation of the plan makes but little difference in the general working out of the 
scheme. 

fThis division of duties is found in the commission charter of the city of Sacramento. It 
is typical, but exactly the same arrangement is not found in all cities that have adopted the 
commission plan. 


( 41 ) 



act together as a legislative body, and act separately as executive officers 
in charge of certain branches of the city’s work. 

The commission appoints many officers that are usually elective. For 
instance, among others the commission in the city of Sacramento appoints 
a cit}' attorney, city assessor, city treasurer, and judge of the police court. 
All these officers were elective in Sacramento before that city adopted the 
commission form of government. It will be noticed that these officers are 
chosen to do certain kinds of expert work. It makes no difference what 
political party these men may belong to, or what political views they may 
hold. Those facts do not determine the fitness of the candidates for the 
offices mentioned. The city attorney must be an expert lawyer; the city 
assessor must be an expert in the business of assessing property; the judge 
of the police court must be unbiased, fair, and have a knowledge of the law. 
Politics have nothing to do with their fitness; therefore they have been 
taken out of politics and made appointive. They are chosen on the same 
basis as that of a business house, when it chooses a manager or a legal 
adviser. 

Those who favor the commission form of government claim that it will 
do away with most, if not all, of the evils that have developed in the 
older form. The commission, because smaller than the old council, will 
be more responsible to the people. The people can watch the members 
more closely. When the commissioners pass an ordinance, one of the 
commissioners is personally responsible for carrying it out. For example, 
if an ordinance is passed ordering the construction of a sewer, the commis¬ 
sioner of public works must see that the work is properly performed. If 
anything goes wrong, he, personally, is responsible. If there is any graft, 
he is the man to blame. If the contractor does not do his work properly, 
the commissioner must answer to the people for it. Under such a system, 
its supporters claim, the people cannot be fooled. The commissioners are 
made individually responsible, and if any one of them fails in his trust 
he can be discharged from office by the people, by means of the recall, which 
is described in Supplement IX. 

Each commissioner is supposed to spend all his time in the service of the 
city. He is usually elected for a term of five years, and gets a good salary. 
He is expected to become a student of his particular branch of the city 
work. Thus, the commissioner of education is expected to study all that 
other cities are doing in education, in order that he may adopt the best 
for his own city. He is expected to become an authority and an expert, 
and to work out the most efficient system of education for the schools of 
the municipality. And so with all the other commissioners in their 
respective lines of work. Many other advantages are claimed for the 
commission system besides those that have been mentioned. 

Wherever cities are allowed to adopt their own charter without inter¬ 
ference from the legislature, the commission plan is being widely adopted. 
In California cities are allowed to draw' up their own charters, subject to 
certain general state laws. The majority of the voters of a city can, 
through an election, amend or change the charter of their city. This wide 


( 42 ) 


freedom given to California cities, in the matter of making and amending 
their charters, gives us a large amount of what is called home rule, — that 
is, self-rule by the cities, without interference by the legislature. This 
system of home rule in California makes it easy for the cities to adopt the 
commission plan, and as a result a large number of them have done so. 

IX. THE INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM, AND RECALL. 

(Supplemental to Chapter XXIII.) 

The reforms known as the initiative, referendum, and recall are of par¬ 
ticular interest to the people of California because they have been adopted 
into the constitution of the state. The amendments giving the people 
these reforms were adopted at a general election held in 1911, and were 
carried by large majorities. California is at present one of the few states 
of the Union that possess these popular rights, and the people of the state 
must, prove whether they are to be a success, or are to result in failure, as 
■ many people claim they will. 

The initiative .—The initiative is nothing more than a plan to put into 
the hands of the people the power to propose and make laws for them¬ 
selves. As the reader knows, the power to make laws has always rested 
with the men wdiom we have elected and sent to the legislature. If the 
people wanted certain laws they elected, or tried to elect, men who would 
bring these laws before the legislature, there to be voted on by all the 
legislators, and accepted or rejected. Only recently have the people dis¬ 
covered that there is a way by which the voters of a large state can keep 
to themselves this power of making laws, instead of surrendering it to the 
men whom they have elected to represent them in the legislature. 

The plan as adopted is a simple one. We will say there is a desire 
among some of the members of the community that a certain state law be 
passed. Let us say they wish a law to be passed closing all saloons in the 
state. The people who desire that the saloons be closed will first of all 
circulate a petition, on which is printed a copy of the proposed law.. If a 
certain percent of the voters (different in different states) sign the peti¬ 
tion, then the proposed law must be put before the people at an election. 
At this election the people vote for or against the law, and a majority 
decides. A majority of yes’s will place the law upon the statutes of the 
state, and a majority of noes will kill the proposition. 

It must not be thought for a moment that this right of the initiative 
takes away from the legislature its lawmaking powers. Great numbers 
of laws are proposed at every meeting of the legislature, many of them 
very important ones. If the people were depended on to propose and vote 
on all these laws, our government would become a very clumsy thing 
indeed. There would be elections in great number, at heavy expense to 
the state; and besides, the people would never be able to study and under¬ 
stand all the laws as they should. As a result, a great number of poor and 
foolish laws would be passed. Many people say that the voters cannot 
decide wisely, anyhow, even if they have only one or two proposed laws to 
think about. Opponents to the initiative say that the people cannot make 

(43) 


laws successfully because they are not intelligent enough in matters of 
government. Whether this objection is a good one or not can best be 
decided by watching its use in California, Oregon, and other states where 
it has been adopted. 

The referendum .—The legislature will still have a great deal of work 
to do. At every meeting they will have hundreds of law's to take up and 
vote upon. But the danger is this: the legislature might pass some law 
which the people do not want. There is the danger that corporations or 
lobbyists might use graft for the purpose of having a bad law passed. In 
order to prevent this, we have the referendum. This gives the people the 
right to vote upon any law that may come up in the legislature. Of course 
the power will be used only once in a while. Most of the laws proposed 
in the legislature will be decided there, once and for all, and it will be but 
seldom that the people will demand the right. But it frequently happens 
that some of the people are not satisfied with the action of the legislature. 
The right of the referendum is always open to these people. 

Let us suppose that a law 7 has been passed by the legislature freeing 
some of the property of railroads from taxation. Suppose there are a 
number of people in the state who think this law should not have been 
passed,—that it is unjust to the people. The citizens wdio oppose the law 
will write a petition demanding that the voters be given the right to vote 
on the proposition. If a certain number of voters sign the petition, then 
the election is held and the voters decide the matter. They might decide 
against the action of the legislature, and so kill the bill. In that way the 
referendum would have just the same effect as the governor’s veto; and so 
it is often said that the referendum gives the people the right to veto bills 
passed by the legislature. 

The recall .—We have still to speak of the recall. This is the name of a 
law giving the people the power to remove from office any elected officer, 
from the governor down. This law was added to the Constitution of the 
state at the same time that the initiative and the referendum were adopted. 
It is managed in much the same way as those tw 7 o reforms. If some of 
the people believe that an official is not performing the duties of his 
position as he should, they have the right, under this amendment, to 
circulate a petition demanding that the official be recalled from office. If 
the petition gets the number of signatures required by law 7 , a general 
election is called for the purpose of voting on the question whether the 
official’s position shall be declared vacant. At the same election the people 
have the opportunity to vote on the names of other men, one of wffiom 
shall take the place of the official, should the official be recalled by a 
majority vote. Simply speaking, the recall is the right of the people to 
discharge an inefficient or corrupt public servant. 

The rights of initiative, referendum, and recall have been extended to 
all the counties of the state, to be used, when desired, in their local affairs. 
Most of the cities, also, have adopted these rights into their charters. The 
initiative, referendum, and recall are always found in cities where the 
commission form of government is used. 


( 44 ) 


X. THE CABINET. 

(Supplemental to Chapter XXIV.) 

The Cabinet consists of nine men, appointed by the President. Each 
member of the Cabinet is at the head of one of the executive departments. 
The Cabinet officers are as follows: the secretary of state, the secretary of 
the treasury, the secretary of war, the secretary of the navy, the postmaster 
general, the secretary of the interior, the attorney general, the secretary 
of agriculture, and the secretary of commerce and labor. 

Each one of these men has under him a large number of minor officials 
whose duty it is to look after the work of their department. The work of 
each department is managed by the cabinet member chosen for that par¬ 
ticular duty, and the President stands above them all, directing their 
policies. The President can, at any time, dismiss one of the cabinet 
members, and appoint another who will do the work in a more satisfactory 
manner. A position in the Cabinet is one of the highest offices that can 
be held by an American, and is often considered next to the presidency 
in importance. 

The members of the Cabinet often meet with the President at what is 
called a cabinet meeting. At these meetings some of the greatest questions 
of government are discussed. Treaties with foreign powers, questions of 
war, international disputes, problems of conservation and internal im¬ 
provements, labor questions, — all these matters, and others of equal 
importance, are discussed at these cabinet meetings, and the policy of the 
government determined upon. • 

It may be said, then, that each member of the Cabinet has two important 
duties. One is to manage the affairs of his department; the other is to 
meet with the President and the other members of the Cabinet, and discuss 
important matters of government policy. 


( 45 ) 


CUMULATIVE PACT REVIEW. 


1. What are tenements?, 

2. What dangers to public health and safety are to be found in the 

tenement districts? 

3. What is being done by law in some cities to improve the tenement 

houses ? 

4. Tell some of the things that are being done in the tenements and 

tenement districts to improve the health conditions. 

5. What about overcrowding in the tenements? Tell, in your answer. 

of some of the effects of overcrowding, and something about laws 
regarding it. 

(Questions 1 to 5 based on Chapter VI.) 

6. Make a statement about the amount and importance of immigration 

into the United States. 

7. Give two or three reasons why people leave their own country and 

come to ours. 

8. Tell whether the immigrants immediately mix with our native 

population. If they do not, give the facts. Tell what is meant 
by the “German vote,” and the “Italian vote.” 

9. Tell whether the immigrants always remain Germans or Italians or 

Poles, or whatever they may be, for very long. If they do not, 
what do they become? 

10. Tell whether the answer to number nine is true of the Chinese. 

11. What has our government done in the case of Chinese laborers? 

12. What do we mean by saying that a foreigner has become naturalized ? 

13. What is meant by a declaration of intention ? 

14. What is an alien ? 

15. What have the public schools to do with making good citizens out 

of foreigners? 

(6 to 15 based on Chapter VII.) 

16. What is the purpose of the homestead act? 

17. Why has the government surveyed the land into townships and 

sections ? 

18. What must be done to dry and arid land before it can become 

productive ? 

19. What is the purpose of the reclamation service? 

20. What do we mean by the government’s right of eminent domain? 

21. When the government uses the right of eminent domain, what is 

always done so that the property owner shall suffer no loss? 

22. Tell what a franchise is, and to what kinds of companies franchises 

are.granted by cities. 

23. In return for a franchise, what must the company receiving it 

guarantee to the people? 


( 46 ) 



24. Tell whether the city officials always act for the good of the city 

alone when they grant a franchise. What are the facts? 

(16 to 24 based on Chapter VIII.) 

25. Give a definition of conservation. 

26. Tell whether conservation teaches that we should deny ourselves 

the use of the natural resources. 

27. Tell why conservation has become so important and pressing a 

matter. 

28. Explain how the forests can be used carefully, and what the result 

will be. 

29. What are some, of the duties of the Conservation Commission of 

California ? 

(25 to 29 based on Chapter I of the Supplement.) 

30. Write a sentence explaining some of the duties of the city board 

of health. 

31. What danger lies in the careless disposal of garbage, sewage, and 

such things ? 

32. What danger lies in expectorating in public places? 

33. Of what good to the public are parks and playgrounds ? 

34. Tell what it means to quarantine a house, and why it is done. 

35. Tell what it means to quarantine a ship, and why it is done. 

36. What are some of the duties of the state board of health ? 

(30 to 36 based on Chapter IX.) 

37. What has been said to be the cause of most of the fires that occur? 

38. When a person is accused of crime, what rights does the law guar¬ 

antee him? 

39. What are some of the laws that have been passed to prevent 

accidents? 

(37 to 39 based on Chapter X.) 

40. Tell why the workmen in various trades have organized themselves 

into unions. 

41. What other things should employers do for their employees, besides 

paying good wages? 

(40 and 41 based on Chapter XI.) 

42. Over what kinds of business has the national government control ? 

43. Tell what some of the states, including California, have done regard¬ 

ing child labor. 

44. What has California done with regard to the hours of labor for 

women ? 

45. Tell why Congress has levied high import duties. 

46. What are consuls? 

47. What is the purpose of the Department of Commerce and Labor ? 

(42 to 47 based on Chapter XII of the text and Chapter II of the Supplement.) 

48. Name some of the ways in which dishonest or inefficient public 

officials can waste the people’s money. 

(48 based on Chapter XIII.) 

49. Tell what kinds of business must secure franchises before they can 

begin work. 

50. What abuses and frauds often arise in the granting of franchises? 


4—17 


( 47 ) 


f)l. Tell whether cities sometimes own street railroads, and whether 
all people agree that it would be a good thing for the cities to 
own them. What is one of the arguments? 

(49 to 51 based on Chapter XIV.) 

52. The Constitution gives Congress power to regulate what kind of 

commerce ? 

53. What do we mean by this kind of commerce? 

54. Tell what is meant by a railroad granting a rebate. Tell whether 

this is legal or not. 

55. For what purpose have railroads sometimes formed secret agree¬ 

ments ? 

56. What is the duty of the interstate commerce commission in the 

matters mentioned in 54 and 55? 

57. What are the duties of the Interstate Commerce Commission in 

regard to railroad rates ? 

(52 to 57 based on Chapter III of the Supplement.) 

58. What are the duties of school trustees? 

59. What are the duties of the city board of education and the city 

superintendent of schools ? 

60. Why does the government go to such expense in providing free 

education ? 

(58 to GO based on Chapter XV.) 

61. What are compulsory education laws? 

62. State California’s compulsory education law. 

(Gl and G2 based on Chapter IV of the Supplement.) 

63. What can children do for the sake of civic beauty? 

64. Why have some cities forbidden the use of electric poles? 

(G3 and G4 based on Chapter XVI.) 

65. Tell whether our government is connected with religion in any 

way. What do we believe in this matter ? 

66. What does the Constitution of the United States say about the 

right of every person to worship ? 

(05 and GG based on Chapter XVII.) 

67. Why is it wrong to help every beggar that comes along? 

68. What is the best way to help the poor? 

69. Tell whether we send criminals to prison just to punish them. 

What do we hope to do in prison with most of the criminals? 

(G7 to G9 based on Chapter XVIII.) 

70. Is the government the servant or the master of the people? 

71. What body of laws tells the powers of the federal government? 

72. A state government is organized according to a body of laws called 

what ? 

73. What is meant by the suffrage? 

74. How are United States senators chosen? 

75. Say something about popular election of United States senators. 

76. What is the duty of the electors, sometimes called the electoral 

college ? 

77. How are the electors chosen? 

78. What is a convention of a political party? 


( 48 ) 


79. Where are the candidates for President and Vice President chosen 

by each party? 

(6< to <9 based on Chapter XIX of the text, and on Chapter V of the Supplement.) 

80. Under the direct primary system, who nominates the candidates? 

81. What is the election called, at which the candidates are chosen? 

82. In a general way, tell what officers in California are chosen by 

direct primary. 

83. What right have the people at the presidential preference primary ? 

(80 to S3 based on Chapter VI of the Supplement.) 

84. What can you say about a citizen’s duty in paying taxes, voting, 

and serving on jury? 

85. Tell what kind of organization is sometimes called the '‘machine,” 

and tell what the boss has to do with it. 

86. Tell what danger there is in machines and bosses. By whom or 

what may the machines and bosses be controlled? 

87. The political offices that are not tilled by election are tilled how? 

Under the spoils system to whom are these offices given? AVhy? 

88. Give some reasons why the spoils system is bad. 

89. Explain what we mean by the civil service, and what the merit 

system is. 

90. What kind of fraud was common before the Australian ballot was 

adopted ? How has the Australian ballot prevented most of this ? 
(84 to 90 based on Chapter XX.) 

91. What are the duties of the constable? 

92. Tell the duties of the justice of the peace. What is a justices’ court ? 

93. In what branch of the government do we find the district attorney? 

Briefly state his important duties. 

94. What does the county treasurer do ? 

95. What does the county assessor do? 

96. What does the county tax collector do? 

97. What does the county superintendent of schools do? 

98. Tell what the coroner does, and speak of a coroner’s jury and a 

coroner ’s inquest. 

99. The board of supervisors is the legislative body for what branch 

of the government? Give a few examples of laws passed by the 
supervisors. 

(91 to 99 based on Chapter VII of the Supplement.) 

100. What is a city charter? 

101. How are the members of a city council chosen, and what are the 

duties of the council? 

102. What do we have boards and departments in the city government 

for? Write a full answer of two or three sentences, using the 
following words: health department — fire department — police 
department — street department — hoard of public works — 

hoard of education. 

(100 to 102 based on Chapter XXII.) 

103. Under a commission form of government what are the duties of the 

commission ? 


( 49 ) 


104. 


Tell how the commission divides np the executive work of the city, 
using the following phrases: commissioner of public works —- 
commissioner of streets — commissioner of public health and 
safety — commissioner of education — commissioner of finance. 

105. What is each one of the commissioners responsible for? 

106. How is each commissioner supposed to prepare himself for his 

special duties? 

107. Tell whether many California cities have adopted the commission 

form of government. 

(103 to 107 based on Chapter VIII of the Supplement.) 

108. Before an amendment to the state constitution becomes law, what 

election must be held? 

109. What state body is made up of the senate and the assembly? 

110. What is the duty of the senate and the assembly? 

111. Before a bill becomes a law of the state, it must be signed by whom? 

112. What do we mean when we say that the governor vetoes a bill? 

What happens to a bill when the governor vetoes it? 

113. How are the members of the legislature chosen? 

114. In the assembly what is the duty of the speaker? 

115. What kinds of cases are tried in the superior courts of the state? 

116. If an appeal is granted from a police court to a superior court, 

what does that mean? 

117. What are district courts of appeal? 

118. What is the highest court of the state? 

119. How are the judges of the state courts chosen? 

120. What do we mean by the governor’s power to pardon criminals? 

121. Why do we have a lieutenant governor? 

122. What are the duties of the state treasurer? (He has practically 

the same duties in the state government that the county treasurer 
has in the county. Look it up in Chapter YII of the Supplement.) 

123. What affairs of the state does the comptroller manage ? 

124. What are the duties of the attorney general? 

125. In what branch of the government do we find the following boards: 

state board of health, fish and game commission, conservation 
commission, railroad commission f In your answer write out the 
names of the foregoing boards and commissions. Tell how the 
members get their positions. 

(108 to 125 based on Chapter XXIII.) 

126. What right does the initiative give the people? 

127. How is the initiative started? 

128. The referendum gives the people the right to do what with laws 

passed by the legislature? 

129. What right does the recall give the people? 

130. If there is an initiative, a referendum, or a recall, what is held in 

order to give the people a chance to decide? 

(126 to 130 based on Chapter IX of the Supplement.) 


( 50 ) 


131. Wliat determines the number of members of the house of represen¬ 

tatives to be chosen from each state? Who elects them? 

132. How many United States senators are chosen from each state? 

133. Tell whether a bill proposed in the senate or the house of represen¬ 

tatives is voted on immediately. Tell what one of the many 
committees of the senate and the house must do with each bill 
that comes up. 

134. What do we mean by the speaker of the House? 

135. For how many years is the President elected? 

136. What officer would take the place of the President, if the President 

should die? 

137. The secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary 

of war, the secretary of the navy, the postmaster general, the 
secretary of the interior, the attorney general, the secretary of 
agriculture, and the secretary of commerce and labor make up 
what? In your answer write all the names of the positions. 

138. Each member of the Cabinet has charge of what ? 

139. What is a cabinet meeting held for? 

140. AVhat is meant by the President’s veto power? 

141. How can a law be passed over the President’s veto? 

142. How is an extra session of Congress called? 

143. Why does the President send messages to Congress? 

144. AVhat is the name of the highest court in the land? 

145. Tell whether there are any other national courts. 

146. What do we mean by the Chief Justice ? 

147. A national court has power over cases involving what laws? 

148. If the Supreme Court thinks that a law is unconstitutional, what 

can it do about it? 

(131 to 148 based on Chapter XXIV of the text and Chapter X of the Supplement.) 

149. Tell what kind of property is meant by real estate. 

150. Tell what kind of property is meant by personal property, and give 

a few examples. 

151. On what kinds of property do the state and local governments 

usually levy taxes? 

152. AVhy must property be assessed? 

153. Tell how citizens often avoid paying taxes. How does this put a 

greater burden on the honest citizens? 

154. What is a poll tax? 

155. AVhat is an income tax? 

156. AVhat is an inheritance tax? 

157. What is a franchise tax? 

158. In what other ways, besides through taxation, do state and local 

governments get revenues? 

159. What kinds of property are exempt from taxation? 

160. Tell what import duties are, and what branch of our government 

levies them. 

161. What are customs houses? 

162. On what articles, made where, is the internal revenue levied? 

(51) 


163. When is it sometimes necessary for the government to borrow 

money ? 

164. Tell how the government borrows money, speaking of government 

bonds. 

(149 to 164 based on Chapter XXV.) 

165. Write the names of all the following offices in a column, and after 

each write the word city, county, state, or nation, depending on 
whether the office is a city, county, state, or national office: 
Sheriff, Board of Charities and Corrections, Vice President, Gov¬ 
ernor, Secretary of the Navy, Postmaster General, Board of Super¬ 
visors, Auditor, Mayor, Street Department, Public Administrator, 
Recorder, Secretary of the Interior, City Council, Fire Depart¬ 
ment, Secretary of Commerce and Labor, Board of Public Works. 
Board of Education, School Trustees, Assembly, Congress, Chief 
Justice, President, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Conserva¬ 
tion Commission, Coroner, Railroad Commission, Secretary of the 
Treasury, District Attorney, Secretary of Agriculture. 

(165 based on Chapters XXI, XXII. XXIII. and XXIV of the text, and on Chapters 
VII and X of the Supplement.) 


( 52 ) 



DEC 6 ISIS 


LIST OF COURSES OF STUDY-Continued 


No. 14.—A Course of Study in the Teaching of Composition, Language and Spelling; 

paper bound. By Effie B. McFadden, assisted by Ethel G. Smith. Teachers' 
Edition for first three years. Price , postpaid, 25 cents. In lots of 25 or more, 
freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 20 cents per copy. 

From the Teachers’ Edition are reprinted the Pupils’ Exercise Books, into 
which pupils may write with ink. The books contain the exercises for pupils but 
omit the directions to teachers. A large portion is printed matter, saving the 
labor and time of the teacher in copying lessons upon the board, and saving the 
pupils also a great amount of unnecessary labor. By the use of these exercise 
books, classes will make from two to three times the progress they make under 
the usual text-book conditions. 

Pupils’ Exercise Book No. 1. Price, postpaid, 10 cents; in Jots of 25 or more, 
freight or express charges paid by purchaser, 7J cents per copy. 

Pupils Exercise Book No. 2. Price, postpaid, 10 cents; in lots of 25 or more, 
freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 7J cents per copy. 

No. 15.—A Simplified Course of Study in the Teaching of Grammar; Teachers’ Edition, 
paper bound, 187 pages. By Frederic Burk, Effie B. McFadden and Irving 
Brazier. Price, postpaid, 40 cents. The same kind of pupils’ exercise books 
accompanies this bulletin as those described under No. 14. 

Pupils’ Exercise Book No. 1; 68 pages, comprising Exercises 1 to 35. Price, 
postpaid, 10 cents; in lots of 25 or more, freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 
7j& cents per copy. 

Pupils’ Exercise Book No. 2 ; 64 pages, comprising Exercises 36 to 85. Price, 
postpaid, 10 cents; in lots of 25 or more, freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 
7$ cents per copy. 

Pupils’ Exercise Book No. 3 ; 48 pages, comprising Exercises 86 to 115. Price, 
postpaid, 10 cents; in lots of 25 or more, freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 
71 cents per copy. 

Pupils’ Exercise Book No. 4; 64 pages, comprising Exercises 116 to 150. Price, 
postpaid, 10 cents; in lots of 25 or more, freight or expressage paid by purchaser, 
71 cents per copy. 

No. 16.—A Course of Study in Phonics. By Corinne H. Johnstone and Frederic Burk. 
Teachers’ Edition, Part I, 90 pages. Price, postpaid, 20 cents. 

Pupils’ Phonic Exercise Book No. 1 (containing exercises reprinted from Teach¬ 
ers’ Edition). Price, postpaid, 10 cents. In lots of 25 or more, freight or express- 
age paid by purchaser, 71 cents. 

No. 17.—A Composition Course in American Government and Pupils’ Handbook to the 
State Series Text (Dunn’s Community and Citizen) with Supplement containing 
revised or additional paragraphs upon conservation, some California laws, Inter¬ 
state Commerce Commission* California’s compulsory education, direct election of 
United States senators, direct primary, township and county, the commission 
form of city government, the initiative, referendum and recall, the cabinet ; paper 
bound, about 40 pages. By P. F. Valentine. Price, postpaid, 15 cents; in lots 
of twenty-five or more, expressage or freight paid by purchaser, 10 cents per copy. 

OUT OF PRINT. 

No. 1 (new series).—A Course of Study in Primary Language and Handbook to the State 
Series Text; paper bound, 109 pages. By Effie B. McFadden. (See Bulletin 
No. 9.) 

No. 2 (new series).—A Course of Study in Primary Arithmetic and Handbook to the 
State Series Text; paper bound, 166 pages. By David Rhys Jones. (See Bul¬ 
letin No. 11.) 

No. 3 (new series).—A Course of Study for the Teaching of Reading to Beginners and 
Handbook to the State Series Primer and First Reader; paper bound, 76 pages. 
(See Bulletin No. 16.) 

No. 6 (new series).—A Course of Study in Grammar and Handbook to the State Series 
Text; paper bound, 89 pages. By Frederic Burk and Effie B. McFadden. (See 
Bulletin No. 15.) 

No. 8 (new series).—A Course of Study in the Teaching of Reading and Handbook to 
the State Series Second, Third, and Fourth Readers; paper bound, 115 pages. 
By Alma Patterson. 

Address: BULLETIN FUND, STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, 

Buchanan and Waller Streets, 

San Francisco 


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 


0 029 041 841 0 



